WO2018174978A2

WO2018174978A2 - Negotiating individual wake-up receiver on-off period to enable wake-up packet transmission

Info

Publication number: WO2018174978A2
Application number: PCT/US2017/067598
Authority: WO
Inventors: Minyoung Park; Robert J. Stacey; Laurent Cariou; Po-Kai Huang
Original assignee: Intel IP Corporation
Priority date: 2017-03-22
Filing date: 2017-12-20
Publication date: 2018-09-27
Also published as: WO2018174978A3

Abstract

A wireless device and a wake-up receiver for a corresponding station are configured to negotiate one or more parameters of a wake-up packet. The parameters include offset, wherein a reference point plus the offset indicates a starting time of a wake-up receiver ON window, duration, wherein the duration specifies a time duration of each wake up receiver ON window, and period, wherein the period specifies a time between consecutive starting times of the wake-up receiver ON window and is longer than the duration. The wireless device then encodes the wake-up packet in a wake-up receiver (WUR) management frame to have the offset, duration and period established in accordance with the negotiation, in an element of the WUR management frame comprising a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR Operation element. The wireless device transmits the WUR management frame to the one or more stations. The stations may thus decide their power consumption value based on latency and power constraints with minimal complexity.

Description

NEGOTIATING INDIVIDUAL WAKE-UP RECEIVER ON-OFF PERIOD TO ENABLE WAKE-UP PACKET TRANSMISSION

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/475,377, filed March 23, 2017, entitled

"NEGOTIATING INDIVIDUAL WAKE-UP RECEIVER ON OFF PERIOD TO ENABLE WAKE-UP PACKET TRANSMISSION" and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/474,859, filed March 22, 2017, entitled "MODIFIED TARGET WAKE TFME (TWT) FOR WAKE-UP RADIO MODE," which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments described herein generally relate to wireless networks and wireless communications. Some embodiments relate to wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Wi-Fi networks including networks operating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. Some embodiments relate to IEEE 802.1 lax. Some embodiments relate to methods, computer readable media, and apparatus for negotiating individual wake-up receiver on-off period to enable wake-up packet transmission and for modified target wake time (TWT) for wake-up radio mode.

BACKGROUND [0003] Efficient use of the resources of a wireless local-area network

(WLAN) is important to provide bandwidth and acceptable response times to the users of the WLAN. However, often there are many devices trying to share the same resources and some devices may be limited by the communication protocol they use or by their hardware bandwidth. Moreover, wireless devices may need to operate with both newer protocols and with legacy device protocols. Techniques remain desirable for minimizing power usage of wireless and other devices during use and when the devices are in a standby mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture in accordance with some embodiments;

[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates a front-end module circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates a radio IC circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a baseband processing circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG.1 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates a wireless network in accordance with some embodiments;

[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine upon which any one or more of the operations/techniques (e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may perform;

[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless device upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies or operations) discussed herein may perform; and

[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a device with an Institute of

Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 radio and a low power wake up receiver (LP-WUR) for Wi-Fi, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 9A illustrates an example of a wake-up receiver (WURx) that is on for certain period of time rather than all the time, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 9B illustrates a sample WUR frame format in accordance with some embodiments; [0015] FIG. 10 illustrates an example for WURx-On/Off period based on offset, duration and period, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0016] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a target wake time (TWT) element format, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a control field format, in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0018] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a TWT element format, in accordance with some embodiments. DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture 100 in accordance with some embodiments. Radio architecture 100 may include radio front-end module (FEM) circuitry 104, radio IC circuitry 106 and baseband processing circuitry 108. Radio architecture 100 as shown includes both Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality although embodiments are not so limited. In this disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" are used interchangeably.

[0021] FEM circuitry 104 may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuitry

104A and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuitry 104B. The WLAN FEM circuitry 104A may include a receive signal path comprising circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from one or more antennas 101, to amplify the received signals and to provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuitry 106A for further processing. The BT FEM circuitry 104B may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 101, to amplify the received signals and to provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the BT radio IC circuitry 106B for further processing. FEM circuitry 104A may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 106A for wireless transmission by one or more of the antennas 101. In addition, FEM circuitry 104B may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 106B for wireless transmission by the one or more antennas. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, although FEM 104 A and FEM 104B are shown as being distinct from one another, embodiments are not so limited, and include within their scope the use of an FEM (not shown) that includes a transmit path and/or a receive path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuitries where at least some of the FEM circuitries share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0022] Radio IC circuitry 106 as shown may include WLAN radio IC circuitry 106 A and BT radio IC circuitry 106B. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 106 A may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down- convert WLAN RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 104A and provide baseband signals to WLAN baseband processing circuitry 108 A. BT radio IC circuitry 106B may in turn include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert BT RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 104B and provide baseband signals to BT baseband processing circuitry 108B.

WLAN radio IC circuitry 106A may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert WLAN baseband signals provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 108 A and provide WLAN RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 104A for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 101. BT radio IC circuitry 106B may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert BT baseband signals provided by the BT baseband processing circuitry 108B and provide BT RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 104B for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 101. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, although radio IC circuitries 106A and 106B are shown as being distinct from one another, embodiments are not so limited, and include within their scope the use of a radio IC circuitry (not shown) that includes a transmit signal path and/or a receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more radio IC circuitries where at least some of the radio IC circuitries share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0023] Baseband processing circuity 108 may include a WLAN baseband processing circuitry 108 A and a BT baseband processing circuitry 108B. The WLAN baseband processing circuitry 108A may include a memory, such as, for example, a set of RAM arrays in a Fast Fourier Transform or Inverse Fast Fourier Transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 108 A. Each of the WLAN baseband circuitry 108 A and the BT baseband circuitry 108B may further include one or more processors and control logic to process the signals received from the corresponding WLAN or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuitry 106, and to also generate

corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the radio IC circuitry 106. Each of the baseband processing circuitries 108 A and 108B may further include physical layer (PHY) and medium access control layer (MAC) circuitry, and may further interface with application processor 111 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the radio IC circuitry 106.

[0024] Referring still to FIG. 1, according to the shown embodiment, WLAN-BT coexistence circuitry 113 may include logic providing an interface between the WLAN baseband circuitry 108 A and the BT baseband circuitry 108B to enable use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. In addition, a switch 103 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuitry 104A and the BT FEM circuitry 104B to allow switching between the WLAN and BT radios according to application needs. In addition, although the antennas 101 are depicted as being respectively connected to the WLAN FEM circuitry 104 A and the BT FEM circuitry 104B, embodiments include within their scope the sharing of one or more antennas as between the WLAN and BT FEMs, or the provision of more than one antenna connected to each of FEM 104 A or 104B.

[0025] In some embodiments, the front-end module circuitry 104, the radio IC circuitry 106, and baseband processing circuitry 108 may be provided on a single radio card, such as wireless radio card 102. In some other

embodiments, the one or more antennas 101, the FEM circuitry 104 and the radio IC circuitry 106 may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 106 and the baseband processing circuitry 108 may be provided on a single chip or integrated circuit (IC), such as IC 112.

[0026] In some embodiments, the wireless radio card 102 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to receive and transmit orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multicarrier communication channel. The OFDM or OFDMA signals may comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0027] In some of these multicarrier embodiments, radio architecture 100 may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA) such as a wireless access point (AP), a base station or a mobile device including a Wi-Fi device. In some of these embodiments, radio architecture 100 may be configured to transmit and receive signals in accordance with specific communication standards and/or protocols, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards including, 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, 802.11n-2009, 802.1 lac, and/or 802.1 lax standards and/or proposed specifications for WLANs, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. Radio architecture 100 may also be suitable to transmit and/or receive communications in accordance with other techniques and standards.

[0028] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured for high-efficiency Wi-Fi (HEW) communications in accordance with the IEEE 802.1 lax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to communicate in accordance with an OFDMA technique, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0029] In some other embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to transmit and receive signals transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and/or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time-division multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and/or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0030] In some embodiments, as further shown in FIG. 1, the BT baseband circuitry 108B may be compliant with a Bluetooth (BT) connectivity standard such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth 4.0 or Bluetooth 5.0, or any other iteration of the Bluetooth Standard. In embodiments that include BT functionality as shown for example in Fig. 1, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to establish a BT synchronous connection oriented (SCO) link and or a BT low energy (BT LE) link. In some of the embodiments that include functionality, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to establish an extended SCO (eSCO) link for BT communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments that include a BT functionality, the radio architecture may be configured to engage in a BT Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the functions of a BT radio card and WLAN radio card may be combined on a single wireless radio card, such as single wireless radio card 102, although embodiments are not so limited, and include within their scope discrete WLAN and BT radio cards.

[0031] In some embodiments, the radio-architecture 100 may include other radio cards, such as a cellular radio card configured for cellular (e.g., 3GPP such as LTE, LTE-Advanced or 5G communications).

[0032] In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured for communication over various channel bandwidths including bandwidths having center frequencies of about 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and bandwidths of about 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4 MHz, 5MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 16 MHz, 20 MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz (with contiguous bandwidths) or 80+80MHz (160MHz) (with non-contiguous bandwidths). In some embodiments, a 320 MHz channel bandwidth may be used. The scope of the embodiments is not limited with respect to the above center frequencies however.

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates FEM circuitry 200 in accordance with some embodiments. The FEM circuitry 200 is one example of circuitry that may be suitable for use as the WLAN and/or BT FEM circuitry 104A/104B (FIG. 1), although other circuitry configurations may also be suitable.

[0034] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 200 may include a

TX/RX switch 202 to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 200 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 200 may include at least one low-noise amplifier (LNA) 206 to amplify received RF signals 203 and provide the amplified received RF signals 207 as an output (e.g., to the radio IC circuitry 106 (FIG. 1)). On the other hand, the transmit signal path of the circuitry 200 may include a power amplifier (PA) 210 to amplify input RF signals 209 (e.g., provided by the radio IC circuitry 106), and one or more filters 212, such as band-pass filters (BPFs), low-pass filters (LPFs) or other types of filters, to generate RF signals 215 for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the antennas 101 (FIG. 1)).

[0035] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communication, the

FEM circuitry 200 may be configured to operate in either the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum or the 5 GHz frequency spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 200 may include a receive signal path duplexer 204 to separate the signals from each spectrum as well as to provide a separate LNA 206 for each spectrum as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 200 may also include a power amplifier 210 and a filter 212, such as a BPF, a LPF or another type of filter for each frequency spectrum and a transmit signal path duplexer 214 to provide the signals of one of the different spectrums onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by the one or more of the antennas 101 (FIG. 1). In some embodiments, BT communications may utilize the 2.4 GHZ signal paths and may utilize the same FEM circuitry 200 as the one used for WLAN communications.

[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates radio IC circuitry 300 in accordance with some embodiments. The radio IC circuitry 300 is one example of circuitry that may be suitable for use as the WLAN or BT radio IC circuitry 106A/106B (FIG. 1), although other circuitry configurations may also be suitable.

[0037] In some embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 300 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuitry 300 may include at least mixer circuitry 302, such as, for example, down-conversion mixer circuitry, amplifier circuitry 306 and filter circuitry 308. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuitry 300 may include at least filter circuitry 312 and mixer circuitry 314, such as, for example, up- conversion mixer circuitry. Radio IC circuitry 300 may also include synthesizer circuitry 304 for synthesizing a frequency 305 for use by the mixer circuitry 302 and the mixer circuitry 314. The mixer circuitry 302 and/or 314 may each, according to some embodiments, be configured to provide direct conversion functionality. The latter type of circuitry presents a much simpler architecture as compared with standard super-heterodyne mixer circuitries, and any flicker noise brought about by the same may be alleviated, for example, through the use of OFDM modulation. Fig. 3 illustrates a simplified version of a radio IC circuitry, and may include, although not shown, embodiments where each of the depicted circuitries may include more than one component. For instance, mixer circuitry 320 and/or 314 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuitries 308 and/or 312 may each include one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and/or LPFs according to application needs. For example, when mixer circuitries are of the direct-conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers.

[0038] In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 302 may be configured to down-convert RF signals 207 received from the FEM circuitry 104 (FIG. 1) based on the synthesized frequency 305 provided by synthesizer circuitry 304. The amplifier circuitry 306 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 308 may include a LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals 307. Output baseband signals 307 may be provided to the baseband processing circuitry 108 (FIG. 1) for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals 307 may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 302 may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0039] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 314 may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals 311 based on the synthesized frequency 305 provided by the synthesizer circuitry 304 to generate RF output signals 209 for the FEM circuitry 104. The baseband signals 311 may be provided by the baseband processing circuitry 108 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 312. The filter circuitry 312 may include a LPF or a BPF, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0040] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 302 and the mixer circuitry 314 may each include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or up-conversion respectively with the help of synthesizer 304. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 302 and the mixer circuitry 314 may each include two or more mixers each configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 302 and the mixer circuitry 314 may be arranged for direct down- conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 302 and the mixer circuitry 314 may be configured for super- heterodyne operation, although this is not a requirement.

[0041] Mixer circuitry 302 may comprise, according to one embodiment: quadrature passive mixers (e.g., for the in-phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) paths). In such an embodiment, RF input signal 207 from Fig. 3 may be down- converted to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to the baseband processor.

[0042] Quadrature passive mixers may be driven by zero and ninety- degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuitry which may be configured to receive a LO frequency (fix)) from a local oscillator or a synthesizer, such as LO frequency 305 of synthesizer 304 (FIG. 3). In some embodiments, the LO frequency may be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments, the LO frequency may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency, etc.). In some embodiments, the zero and ninety-degree time-varying switching signals may be generated by the synthesizer 304, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0043] In some embodiments, the LO signals may differ in duty cycle

(the percentage of one period in which the LO signal is high) and/or offset (the difference between start points of the period). In some embodiments, the LO signals may have a 25% duty cycle and a 50% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuitry (e.g., the in-phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) path) may operate at a 25% duty cycle, which may result in a significant reduction in power consumption.

[0044] The RF input signal 207 (FIG. 2) may comprise a balanced signal, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The I and Q baseband output signals may be provided to low-nose amplifier, such as amplifier circuitry 306 (FIG. 3) or to filter circuitry 308 (FIG. 3).

[0045] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals 307 and the input baseband signals 311 may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate

embodiments, the output baseband signals 307 and the input baseband signals 311 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the radio IC circuitry may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry.

[0046] In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, or for other spectrums not mentioned here, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0047] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 304 may be a fractional -N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 304 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 304 may include digital synthesizer circuitry. An advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuitry is that, although it may still include some analog components, its footprint may be scaled down much more than the footprint of an analog synthesizer circuitry. In some embodiments, frequency input into synthesizer circuity 304 may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. A divider control input may further be provided by either the baseband processing circuitry 108

(FIG. 1) or the application processor 111 (FIG. 1) depending on the desired output frequency 305. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table (e.g., within a Wi-Fi card) based on a channel number and a channel center frequency as determined or indicated by the application processor 111.

[0048] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 304 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency 305, while in other embodiments, the output frequency 305 may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency, etc.). In some embodiments, the output frequency 305 may be a LO frequency (f_L0).

[0049] FIG. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of baseband processing circuitry 400 in accordance with some embodiments. The baseband processing circuitry 400 is one example of circuitry that may be suitable for use as the baseband processing circuitry 108 (FIG. 1), although other circuitry configurations may also be suitable. The baseband processing circuitry 400 may include a receive baseband processor (RX BBP) 402 for processing receive baseband signals 309 provided by the radio IC circuitry 106 (FIG. 1) and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 404 for generating transmit baseband signals 311 for the radio IC circuitry 106. The baseband processing circuitry 400 may also include control logic 406 for coordinating the operations of the baseband processing circuitry 400.

[0050] In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between the baseband processing circuitry 400 and the radio IC circuitry 106), the baseband processing circuitry 400 may include ADC 410 to convert analog baseband signals received from the radio IC circuitry 106 to digital baseband signals for processing by the RX BBP 402. In these

embodiments, the baseband processing circuitry 400 may also include DAC 412 to convert digital baseband signals from the TX BBP 404 to analog baseband signals.

[0051] In some embodiments that communicate OFDM signals or

OFDMA signals, such as through baseband processor 108 A, the transmit baseband processor 404 may be configured to generate OFDM or OFDMA signals as appropriate for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 402 may be configured to process received OFDM signals or OFDMA signals by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 402 may be configured to detect the presence of an OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing an autocorrelation, to detect a preamble, such as a short preamble, and by performing a cross-correlation, to detect a long preamble. The preambles may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

[0052] Referring back to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the antennas 101

(FIG. 1) may each comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MFMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result.

Antennas 101 may each include a set of phased-array antennas, although embodiments are not so limited.

[0053] Although the radio-architecture 100 is illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0054] FIG. 5 illustrates a WLAN 500 in accordance with some embodiments. The WLAN 500 may comprise a basis service set (BSS) 100 that may include one or more master stations 502, which may be APs, one or more high efficiency (HE) wireless stations (HE stations) (e.g., IEEE 802.1 lax) HE stations 504, a plurality of legacy (e.g., IEEE 802.11n/ac) devices 506, a plurality of IoT devices 508 (e.g., IEEE 802.1 lax), and one or more sensor hubs 510.

[0055] The master station 502 may be an AP using the IEEE 802.11 to transmit and receive. The master station 502 may be a base station. The master station 502 may use other communications protocols as well as the IEEE 802.11 protocol. The IEEE 802.11 protocol may be IEEE 802.1 lax. The IEEE 802.11 protocol may include using orthogonal frequency division multiple-access (OFDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and/or code division multiple access (CDMA). The IEEE 802.11 protocol may include a multiple access technique. For example, the IEEE 802.11 protocol may include space- division multiple access (SDMA) and/or multiple-user multiple-input multiple- output (MU-MEVIO). The master station 502 may be a virtual master station 502 shares hardware resources with another wireless device such as another master station 502.

[0056] The legacy devices 506 may operate in accordance with one or more of IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad/af/ah/aj, or another legacy wireless communication standard. The legacy devices 506 may be STAs or IEEE STAs. The HE stations 504 may be wireless transmit and receive devices such as cellular telephone, smart telephone, handheld wireless device, wireless glasses, wireless watch, wireless personal device, tablet, a portable wireless device, or another device that may be transmitting and receiving using the IEEE 802.11 protocol such as IEEE 802.1 lax or another wireless protocol. In some embodiments, the HE stations 504 may be termed high efficiency wireless local- area network (HEW) stations.

[0057] The master station 502 may communicate with legacy devices

506 in accordance with legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. In example embodiments, the master station 502 may also be configured to communicate with HE stations 504 in accordance with legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques.

[0058] The IoT devices 508 may operate in accordance with IEEE

802.1 lax or another standard of 802.11. The IoT devices 508 may be, in some embodiments, narrow band devices that operate on a smaller sub-channel than the HE stations 504. For example, the IoT devices 508 may operate on 2.03 MHz or 4.06 MHz sub -channels. In some embodiments, the IoT devices 508 are not able to transmit on a full 20 MHz sub-channel to the master station 502 with sufficient power for the master station 502 to receive the transmission. In some embodiments, the IoT devices 508 are not able to receive on a 20 MHz sub- channel and may use a small sub-channel such as 2.03 MHz or 4.06 MHz subchannel. In some embodiments, the IoT devices 508 may operate on a subchannel with exactly 26 or 52 data sub-carriers. The IoT devices 508, in some embodiments, may be short-range, low-power devices.

[0059] The IoT devices 508 may be battery constrained. The IoT devices 508 may be sensors designed to measure one or more specific parameters of interest such as temperature sensor, pressure sensor, humidity sensor, light sensor, etc. The IoT devices 508 may be location-specific sensors. Some IoT devices 508 may be connected to a sensor hub 510. The IoT devices 508 may upload measured data from sensors to the sensor hub 510. The sensor hubs 510 may upload the data to an access gateway 512 that connects several sensor hubs 510 and can connect to a cloud sever or the Internet (not illustrated). The master station 502 may act as the access gateway 512 in accordance with some embodiments. The master station 502 may act as the sensor hub 510 in accordance with some embodiments. The IoT device 508 may have identifiers that identify a type of data that is measured from the sensors. In some embodiments, the IoT device 508 may be able to determine a location of the IoT device 508 based on received satellite signals or received terrestrial wireless signals.

[0060] In some embodiments, at least some of the IoT devices 508 need to consume very low average power in order to perform a packet exchange with the sensor hub 510 and/or access gateway 512. The IoT devices 508 may be densely deployed.

[0061] The IoT devices 508 may enter a power save mode and may exit the power save at intervals to gather data from sensors and/or to upload the data to the sensor hub 510 or access gateway 512.

[0062] In some embodiments, the master station 502 HE stations 504, legacy stations 506, IoT devices 508, access gateways 512, Bluetooth^™ devices, and/or sensor hubs 510 enter a power save mode and exit the power save mode periodically or at pre-scheduled times to see if there is a packet for them to be received. In some embodiments, the master station 502, HE stations 504, legacy stations 506, IoT devices 508, access gateways 512, Bluetooth^™ devices, and/or sensor hubs 510 may remain in a power save mode until receiving a wake-up packet as described in further detail below.

[0063] The bandwidth of a channel may be 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz,

160MHz, 320MHz contiguous bandwidths or an 80+80MHz (160MHz) noncontiguous bandwidth. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of a channel may be 1 MHz, 1.25MHz, 2.03MHz, 2.5MHz, 4.06 MHz, 5MHz and 10MHz, or a combination thereof or another bandwidth that is less or equal to the available bandwidth may also be used. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channels may be based on a number of active data subcarriers. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channels is based on 26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996, or 2x996 active data subcarriers or tones that are spaced by 20 MHz. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channels is 256 tones spaced by 20

MHz. In some embodiments, the channels are multiple of 26 tones or a multiple of 20 MHz. In some embodiments, a 20 MHz channel may comprise 242 active data subcarriers or tones, which may determine the size of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). An allocation of a bandwidth or a number of tones or sub- carriers may be termed a resource unit (RU) allocation in accordance with some embodiments.

[0064] In some embodiments, the 26-subcarrier RU and 52-subcarrier

RU are used in the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz OFDMA HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, the 106-subcarrier RU is used in the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz OFDMA and MU-MFMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, the 242-subcarrier RU is used in the 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz OFDMA and MU- MFMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, the 484-subcarrier RU is used in the 80 MHz, 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz OFDMA and MU-MFMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, the 996-subcarrier RU is used in the 160

MHz and 80+80 MHz OFDMA and MU-MFMO HE PPDU formats.

[0065] A HE frame may be configured for transmitting a number of spatial streams, which may be in accordance with MU-MFMO and may be in accordance with OFDMA. In other embodiments, the master station 502, HE STA 504, and/or legacy device 506 may also implement different technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA) 2000, CDMA 2000 IX, CDMA 2000 Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Long Term

Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)),

BlueTooth®, or other technologies.

[0066] Some embodiments relate to HE communications. In accordance with some IEEE 802.1 lax embodiments, a master station 502 may operate as a master station which may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium (e.g., during a contention period) to receive exclusive control of the medium for an HE control period. In some embodiments, the HE control period may be termed a transmission opportunity (TXOP). The master station 502 may transmit a HE trigger frame, which may be a trigger packet or HE control and schedule transmission, at the beginning of the HEW control period. The master station 502 may transmit a time duration of the TXOP and sub-channel information. During the HE control period, HEW stations 504 may communicate with the master station 502 in accordance with a non-contention based multiple access technique such as OFDMA or MU-MFMO.

[0067] This is unlike conventional wireless local-area network (WLAN) communications in which devices communicate in accordance with a contention-based communication technique, rather than a multiple access technique. During the HE control period, legacy stations refrain from

communicating.

[0068] In some embodiments, the multiple-access technique used during the HE control period may be a scheduled OFDMA technique, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the multiple access technique may be a time-division multiple access (TDMA) technique or a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) technique. In some embodiments, the multiple access technique may be a space-division multiple access (SDMA) technique. [0069] In some embodiments, the HE station 504 and/or master station

502 may be configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.1 lmc. In example embodiments, the radio architecture of FIG. 1 is configured to implement the HE station 504 and/or the master station 502. In example embodiments, the front-end module circuitry of FIG. 2 is configured to implement the HE station 504 and/or the master station 502. In example embodiments, the radio IC circuitry of FIG. 3 is configured to implement the HE station 504 and/or the master station 502. In example embodiments, the baseband processing circuitry of FIG. 4 is configured to implement the HE station 504 and/or the master station 502. In example embodiments, the radio architecture of FIG. 1, the front-end module circuitry of FIG. 2, the radio IC circuitry of FIG. 3, and/or the base-band processing circuitry of FIG. 4 may be configured to perform the methods and functions herein described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-13.

[0070] In example embodiments, the master station 502 may also communicate with legacy stations 506, sensor hubs 510, access gateway 512, and/or HE stations 504 may include one or more of the following: the radio architecture of FIG. 1, the front-end module circuitry of FIG. 2, the radio IC circuitry of FIG. 3, and/or the base-band processing circuitry of FIG. 4.

[0071] The master station 502 may also communicate with legacy stations 506, sensor hubs 510, access gateway 512, and/or HE stations 504 in accordance with legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. In example embodiments, a master station 502, access gateway 512, HE station 504, legacy station 506, IoT devices 508, and/or sensor hub 510 may be configured to perform the methods and functions herein described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-13. In example embodiments, an apparatus of a master station 502, an apparatus of an access gateway 512, an apparatus of a HE station 504, an apparatus of a legacy station 506, apparatus of an IoT devices 508, and/or an apparatus of a sensor hub 510 may be configured to perform the methods and functions herein described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-13.

[0072] In example embodiments, the radio architecture of FIG. 1, the front-end module circuitry of FIG. 2, the radio IC circuitry of FIG. 3, and/or the base-band processing circuitry of FIG. 4 may be configured to perform the methods and operations/functions herein described in conjunction with FIGS. 1- 13.

[0073] In example embodiments, the HE station 504 and/or the HE AP

502 are configured to perform the methods and operations/functions described herein in conjunction with FIGS. 1-13. In example embodiments, an apparatus of the HE station 504 and/or an apparatus of the HE AP 502 are configured to perform the methods and functions described herein in conjunction with FIGS. 1-13. The term Wi-Fi may refer to one or more of the IEEE 802.11

communication standards. AP and STA may refer to HE access point 502 and/or HE station 504 as well as legacy devices 506.

[0074] In some embodiments, a HE AP 502 or a HE STA 504 performing at least some functions of an HE AP 502 may be referred to as HE AP STA. In some embodiments, a HE STA 504 may be referred to as a HE non- AP STA. In some embodiments, a HE STA 504 may be referred to as either a HE AP STA and/or HE non-AP.

[0075] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine 600 upon which any one or more of the operations/techniques (e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may perform. In alternative embodiments, the machine 600 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 600 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the machine 600 may act as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment.

[0076] The machine 600 may be a HE STAs 504 (FIG. 5), HE AP 502, IoT device 508, sensor hub 510, access gateway 512, or wireless device 700

(FIG. 7). The machine 600 may be personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable communications device, a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations.

[0077] Machine (e.g., computer system) 600 may include a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 608.

[0078] Specific examples of main memory 604 include Random Access

Memory (RAM), and semiconductor memory devices, which may include, in some embodiments, storage locations in semiconductors such as registers.

Specific examples of static memory 606 include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; RAM; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Such computer-readable memory devices do not include modulated signals.

[0079] The machine 600 may further include a display device 610, an input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 614 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display device 610, input device 612 and UI navigation device 614 may be a touch screen display. The machine 600 may additionally include a mass storage (e.g., drive unit) 616, a signal generation device 618 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 620, and one or more sensors 621, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 600 may include an output controller 628, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.). In some embodiments, the processor 602 and/or instructions 624 may comprise processing circuitry and/or transceiver circuitry.

[0080] The storage device 616 may include a machine readable medium

622 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 624

(e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 624 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 604, within static memory 606, or within the hardware processor 602 during execution thereof by the machine 600. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 602, the main memory 604, the static memory 606, or the storage device 616 may constitute machine readable media.

[0081] Specific examples of machine readable media may include: nonvolatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM or EEPROM) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; RAM; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. As used herein, "machine readable media" excludes modulated signals.

[0082] While the machine readable medium 622 is illustrated as a single medium, the term "machine readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 624.

[0083] An apparatus of the machine 600 may be one or more of a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, sensors 621, network interface device 620, antennas 660, a display device 610, an input device 612, a UI navigation device 614, a mass storage 616, instructions 624, a signal generation device 618, and an output controller 628. The apparatus may be configured to perform one or more of the methods and/or operations disclosed herein. The apparatus may be intended as a component of the machine 600 to perform one or more of the methods and/or operations disclosed herein, and/or to perform a portion of one or more of the methods and/or operations disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a pin or other means to receive power. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include power conditioning hardware.

[0084] The term "machine readable medium" may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 600 and that cause the machine 600 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non- limiting machine readable medium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks;

magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, machine readable media may include non-transitory machine-readable media. In some examples, machine readable media may include machine readable media that is not a transitory propagating signal.

[0085] The instructions 624 may further be transmitted or received over a communications network 626 using a transmission medium via the network interface device 620 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) family of standards, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others.

[0086] In an example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network 626. In an example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more antennas 660 to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SFMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MFMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. In some examples, the network interface device 620 may wirelessly communicate using Multiple User MIMO techniques. The term "transmission medium" shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 600, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

[0087] Examples, as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangible entities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example, circuits may be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to external entities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. In an example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a module that operates to perform specified operations. In an example, the software may reside on a machine readable medium. In an example, the software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform the specified operations.

[0088] Accordingly, the term "module" is understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform part or all of any operation described herein. Considering examples in which modules are temporarily configured, each of the modules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example, where the modules comprise a general -purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may be configured as respective different modules at different times. Software may accordingly configure a hardware processor, for example, to constitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitute a different module at a different instance of time.

[0089] Some embodiments may be implemented fully or partially in software and/or firmware. This software and/or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Those instructions may then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable performance of the operations described herein. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as but not limited to source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, and the like. Such a computer-readable medium may include any tangible non- transitory medium for storing information in a form readable by one or more computers, such as but not limited to read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory, etc.

[0090] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless device

700 upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies or operations) discussed herein may perform. The wireless device 700 may be a HE device. The wireless device 700 may be one or more of HE STAs 504 (FIG. 5), HE AP 502, IoT device 508, sensor hub 510, example machine 600, or access gateway 512.

[0091] HE STAs 504 (FIG. 5), HE AP 502, IoT device 508, sensor hub

510, machine 600, or access gateway 512 may include some or all of the components shown in FIGS. 1-7. The wireless device 700 may be an example machine 600 as disclosed in conjunction with FIG. 6.

[0092] The wireless device 700 may include processing circuitry 708.

The processing circuitry 708 may include a transceiver 702, physical layer circuitry (PHY circuitry) 704, and MAC layer circuitry (MAC circuitry) 706, one or more of which may enable transmission and reception of signals to and from other wireless devices 700 (e.g., HE STAs 504 (FIG. 5), HE AP 502, legacy device 506, IoT device 508, sensor hub 510, machine 600, or access gateway 512) using one or more antennas 712. As an example, the PHY circuitry 704 may perform various encoding and decoding functions that may include formation of baseband signals for transmission and decoding of received signals. As another example, the transceiver 702 may perform various transmission and reception functions such as conversion of signals between a baseband range and a Radio Frequency (RF) range. [0093] Accordingly, the PHY circuitry 704 and the transceiver 702 may be separate components or may be part of a combined component, e.g., processing circuitry 708. In addition, some of the described functionality related to transmission and reception of signals may be performed by a combination that may include one, any or all of the PHY circuitry 704 the transceiver 702, MAC circuitry 706, memory 710, and other components or layers. The MAC circuitry 706 may control access to the wireless medium. The wireless device 700 may also include memory 710 arranged to perform the operations described herein, e.g., some of the operations described herein may be performed by instructions stored in the memory 710.

[0094] The antennas 712 (some embodiments may include only one antenna) may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MEVIO) embodiments, the antennas 712 may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result.

[0095] One or more of the memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuitry 704, the MAC circuitry 706, the antennas 712, and/or the processing circuitry 708 may be coupled with one another. Moreover, although memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuitry 704, the MAC circuitry 706, the antennas 712 are illustrated as separate components, one or more of memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuitry 704, the MAC circuitry 706, the antennas 712 may be integrated in an electronic package or chip.

[0096] In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may be a mobile device as described in conjunction with FIG. 6. In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more wireless communication standards as described herein (e.g., as described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-6, IEEE 802.11 and/or Bluetooth). In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may include one or more of the components as described in conjunction with FIG. 6 (e.g., display device 610, input device 612, etc.) Although the wireless device 700 is illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0097] In some embodiments, an apparatus of or used by the wireless device 700 may include various components of the wireless device 700 as shown in FIG. 7 and/or components from FIGS. 1-6. Accordingly, techniques and operations described herein that refer to the wireless device 700 may be applicable to an apparatus for a wireless device 700 (e.g., HE STAs 504 (FIG. 5), HE AP 502, legacy device 506, IoT device 508, sensor hub 510, machine 600, or access gateway 512), in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 is configured to decode and/or encode signals, packets, and/or frames as described herein, e.g., PPDUs.

[0098] In some embodiments, the MAC circuitry 706 may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium during a contention period to receive control of the medium for a HE TXOP and encode or decode a HE PPDU. In some embodiments, the MAC circuitry 706 may be arranged to contend for the wireless medium based on channel contention settings, a transmitting power level, and a clear channel assessment level (e.g., an energy detect level).

[0099] The PHY circuitry 704 may be arranged to transmit signals in accordance with one or more communication standards described herein. For example, the PHY circuitry 704 may be configured to transmit a HE PPDU. The PHY circuitry 704 may include circuitry for modulation/demodulation, up- conversion/down-conversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some

embodiments, the processing circuitry 708 may include one or more processors. The processing circuitry 708 may be configured to perform functions based on instructions being stored in a RAM or ROM, or based on special purpose circuitry. The processing circuitry 708 may include a processor such as a general -purpose processor or special purpose processor. The processing circuitry 708 may implement one or more functions associated with antennas 712, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuitry 704, the MAC circuitry 706, and/or the memory 710. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 708 may be configured to perform one or more of the functions/operations and/or methods described herein.

[00100] In some embodiments, a Low Power Wake Up Receiver (LP-

WUR) is provided to enable ultra-low power operation for a Wi-Fi device of the type described above with respect to FIGS. 1-7. The idea is for the Wi-Fi device to have a minimum radio configuration that can receive wake up packets from a peer device. Hence, the Wi-Fi device can stay in a low power mode (e.g., <100μW) until receiving the wake-up packet.

[00101] FIG. 8 illustrates an example 800 of a device with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 radio and a low power wake up receiver (LP-WUR) for Wi-Fi, in accordance with some embodiments. As illustrated, the transmitter 802 transmits data packets 804 and wake up packets 806 to receiver 810 including the 802.11 receiver 812 and LP-WUR 814. The LP-WUR 814 enables low power consumption and low latency for 802.11 and can be a companion radio for 802.11. A common subsystem is made of the 802.11 radio 812 and the LP-WUR 814. As illustrated, the 802.11 radio 812 is used for data transmission and reception as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-7 and is off unless there is something to transmit or receive. The LP- WUR 814 wakes up the 802.11 radio 812 when there is a data packet 804 to receive. LP-WUR 814 is a simple low power receiver on the STA side (and typically does not have a transmitter) and is active when the 802.11 radio 812 is off. In embodiments, the LP-WUR 814 uses a simple modulation scheme such as On-Off-Keying (OOK) on a narrow bandwidth (e.g., < 5 MHz) and should meet the transmission range of the 802.11 radio 812.

[00102] To save even more power, a STA can choose to have the wake-up receiver (WURx) on for certain period of time rather than all the time. FIG. 9 A illustrates an example 900 of a wake-up receiver (WURx) that is on for certain period of time rather than all the time, in accordance with some embodiments. [00103] In some embodiments, it is expected that the transmitter 802 of a wake-up packet is generally an AP, and the receiver of a wake-up packet is a non-AP STA. For an AP, there could be more than one non-AP STAs with wake-up receiver capability. For example, the AP may govern a plurality of sensors, and all the sensors turn off the IEEE 802.11 radio and turn on the WURx. Also, each sensor may have different WURx-On/off period

requirements. How to negotiate for the WURx-On/off among the AP and all the non-AP STAs to achieve simplicity and flexibility is a challenge that can be addressed by, for example, the embodiments described below.

[00104] In some embodiments, a WUR Action frame is used to enable WUR negotiation. The WUR Action frame may be sent by an AP through the primary connectivity radio as shown in FIG. 8 and may include a WUR identifier (WID) that uniquely identifies a WUR STA within a basis service set (BSS) of the AP. The WID may be included in a unicast wake-up frame to identify the intended WUR STA to receive the wake-up packet, which may also be referred to as a wake-up signal in the following description. In some embodiments, the AP decides the WUR operating channel in the band(s) supported by the associated non-AP STA that is operating in the WUR mode. As described below, a non-AP STA in WUR mode has a WURx that follows the duty cycle schedule agreed on between the AP and the non-AP STA if the non- AP STA is in a doze state. If the non-AP station is in WUR mode, the non-AP STA may not listen for WUR Beacon frames (described below) if the non-AP STA is in power saving mode.

[00105] In sample embodiments, the WUR Action frame has the format illustrated in FIG. 9B. As illustrated, the primary connectivity radio transmits

WUR Action frames including an indication of the WUR capability (for example, the basic unit of the period), a WUR request management frame, which can be a WUR Action frame, (including, for example, the actual period), and a

WUR response management frame, which also can be a WUR Action frame, (including, for example, the starting point). The WUR request/response management frames, which can be WUR Action frames, are used to exchange

WUR parameters related to duty cycle scheduling as defined herein. In a first embodiment, the WUR parameters related to duty cycle scheduling are carried in a WUR mode element, while in a second embodiment, the WUR parameters related to duty cycle scheduling are carried in a TWT element (described in more detail below). In each case, the WUR parameters are stored in a memory element of the AP or the STA as a result of the negotiation (described in more detail below) and are made available to the processing circuitry of the AP and the STA, respectively, for creating of the wake-up packets during operation. The WUR mode element or TWT element can be carried in WUR request/response management frame, which can be WUR Action frames. The WUR management frames include a MAC header, a MAC frame body, and a frame check sequence (not shown) that carries the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the frame. As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the MAC frame body include elements defined as having a common general format including a 1 octet Element ID field, a 1 octet element Length field, an optional 1 octet Element ID Extension field, and a variable- length element-specific Information field. Each element is identified by the contents of the Element ID and, when present, the Element ID Extension fields. The Length field specifies the number of octets following the Length field (see FIG. 11). The presence of the Element ID Extension field is determined by the Element ID field. These elements may include a WUR mode element or a TWT element.

[00106] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can include one or more rules for the transmitter 802 of the wake-up packet and each receiver 810 of the wake-up packet to agree on a common period of time for the transmitter 802 to potentially transmit a wake-up packet in a duty cycle mode of the STA for the wake-up receiver (WURx). In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can include for the transmitter 802 and receiver 810 of a wake-up packet to negotiate on three parameters for WURx-On/off period:

[00107] A) Offset: the reference point plus offset indicates the starting time of one 'WURx-On' window. The reference point is defined by the 802.11 specification or decided by the AP for one WUR duty cycle schedule.

[00108] B) Duration: the duration of each 'WURx-On' window, which is larger than or equal to a minimum wake-up duration indicated by the AP. [00109] C) Period: the time between two consecutive starting times of 'WURx-On' window and a multiple of a basic unit indicated by the AP.

[00110] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can provide that a receiver 810 of wake-up packet determines the duration and period.

[00111] For the offset, some embodiments can include one or more of the following options:

[00112] Option 1 : the transmitter 802 of the wake-up packet determines the offset.

[00113] Option 2: the receiver 810 of the wake-up packet determines the offset. In some embodiments, however, the offset is in units of the wake-up receiver (WUR) Beacon interval of the WUR Beacon that is transmitted periodically to the WURs. In other embodiments, the WUR Beacon interval is indicated in a WUR mode element that is sent through the primary connectivity radio. In still other embodiments, a synchronization mechanism is defined to solve any timing mismatch problems associated with the WUR duty cycle mode. In yet other embodiments, the WUR Beacon frame may carry a partial timing synchronization function for synchronization. As previously noted, the reference point is defined by the 802.11 specification or decided by the transmitter 802 of the wake-up packet.

[00114] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can resolve the afore-mentioned problem of negotiating the WURx-On/off period among AP and all non-AP STAs to achieve simplicity and flexibility. By letting the non-AP STA decide the duration and period, non-AP STA may decide its power consumption value based on latency and power constraint. By letting AP determine the offset or introducing rule if the STA is determining the offset, the complexity for the AP to manage all of the WURx-On/off periods is minimized.

[00115] FIG. 10 illustrates an example 1000 for WURx-On/off period based on offset, duration and period, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates the reference point, offset to WURx On starting time, duration of the WURx On window, and period to the next WURx On window. [00116] In some embodiments, it can be assumed that a device, say device A, enters WUR mode after negotiating with another device, say device B, that will transmit a wake-up packet to wake up the radio of device A. Device B is generally an AP. In such embodiments, several main features for device A and device B are provided below.

[00117] For device A:

[00118] In some embodiments, device A signals the duration and period for the WURx-On window. Duration indicates the time for each WURx-On window. The signaling is included in the WUR mode element, and the WUR mode element can be included in WUR request/response, which can be a WUR Action frame, or any other management frame as described in some

embodiments. In some embodiments, the period indicates the time between two consecutive starting times of WURx-On windows. The signaling is also included in the WUR mode element, and the WUR mode element can be included in WUR request/response, which can be a WUR Action frame, or any other management frame as described in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the unit of the period can be a fixed value say 10 time units (TU) or 100 TU.

[00119] For device B:

[00120] In some embodiments, the unit of the period can be indicated by the device B in an element such as the WUR mode element, WUR Capability element, or WUR operation element, and the element can be included in WUR request/response, which can be a WUR Action frame, or any other management frame as described in some embodiments. The WUR Capability element indicates the capability information for the WUR operation. The WUR operation elements indicates the basic operation parameters. The WUR Mode elements indicates the parameters during WUR negotiation. The unit of the period can be defined in the 802.11 specification. In some embodiments, the indicated period from device A can have restrictions. In other embodiments, the period is a divisor of the WUR Beacon interval, i.e., the WUR Beacon interval divided by the indicated period has no remainder. The indicated period is larger than the indicated duration (i.e. Period > Duration). [00121] In some embodiments, a reference point to be used together with the offset indication is provided in accordance with one or more of the following options:

[00122] Option 1 : Implicit signaling for the reference point. The 802.11 specification can define the reference point using a timing synchronization function (TSF).

[00123] Option 2: Explicit signaling for the reference point. Device B indicates the reference point using TSF. The signaling is included in the WUR mode element, and the WUR mode element can be included in WUR

request/response or any other management frame as described in some embodiments.

[00124] In some embodiments, there are also options for the indication of offset:

[00125] Option 1 : Device B signals the offset. The signaling is included in the WUR mode element, and the WUR mode element can be included in WUR request/response, which can be a WUR Action frame, or any other management frame as described in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the offset can be equal to an integer N times the WUR Beacon interval as discussed in some embodiments. The offset can be a value smaller than the WUR Beacon interval plus a value that is equal to an integer N times the WUR Beacon interval. In some embodiments, the unit of the offset can be a fixed value, say 10 TU or 100 TU. In some embodiments, the unit of the offset can be indicated by the device B in the WUR mode element, and the WUR mode element can be included in WUR request/response, which can be a WUR Action frame, or any other management frame as described in some embodiments. The unit of the offset also can be defined in the device 802.11 specification.

[00126] Option 2: Device A signals the offset. In some embodiments, the signaling is included in the WUR mode element, and the WUR mode element can be included in WUR request/response, which can be a WUR Action frame, or any other management frame as described in some embodiments. The offset can be equal to an integer N times the WUR Beacon interval as discussed in some embodiments. The offset can be a value smaller than the WUR Beacon interval plus a value that is equal to an integer N times the WUR Beacon interval. In some embodiments, the unit of the offset can be a fixed value say 10 TU or 100 TU. The unit of the offset can be indicated by the device A in the WUR mode element, and the WUR mode element can be included in WUR request/response or any other management frame as described in some embodiments. The unit of the offset also can be defined in the device 802.11 specification.

[00127] Thus, in sample embodiments, the primary connectivity radio channel is used to transmit a WUR negotiation frame, which can be a WUR Action frame, that includes the information needed to set up and maintain the WUR operation described herein. The three parameters for duty cycle schedule negotiation as described herein include the On duration, the period, and the starting point of one schedule (through direct indication or reference point plus offset). For example, the AP may indicate the starting point (FIG. 10) by indicating the reference point plus the offset and may indicate the reference point from the device 802.11 specification or via exchange with the STA. Similarly, the AP may indicate the offset from the exchange with the STA. The

embodiments described herein simplify the negotiation procedure. The embodiments described herein also provide flexibility on the STA side based on different power/latency constraints and also have flexibility on the AP side for optimizing the duty cycle schedules of different STAs by enabling negotiation of the On duration and period based on the different power/latency constraints of the respective STAs. On the AP side, the AP decides the starting point to optimize the duty cycle schedule and indicates a basic unit of the period such that the period negotiated by the STA is a multiple of the indicated basic unit from the AP. The AP also provides a minimum wake up duration so that the STA does not negotiate an On duration that is too short.

[00128] As noted above, in some embodiments, wake-up radio (WUR) allows a STA to save significant power by having the radio go to a power save mode for a long time and have only the WUR active. In some embodiments, the power savings can be even bigger if the WUR can also be in sleep mode during certain times and active in reception only in specific service periods (SPs).

[00129] In some embodiments, there may be a need for the AP and STA to negotiate the split of the time into service periods and to agree on the STAs power state (sleep mode, active mode) for both the radio and the WUR during these different service periods.

[00130] In some embodiments, target wake time (TWT) has been defined in IEEE 802.1 lah and extended in IEEE 802.1 lax. Some embodiments can allow a STA and an AP to negotiate service periods and the power state and behaviors inside and outside of these service periods. However, the TWT mechanism currently works for the 802.11 receiver (812) and does not take into account the WUR concepts described herein with respect to the operation of the LP -WUR (814). Accordingly, in some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein extend the TWT mechanism to enable negotiation of on/off periods also for the wake-up radio transmission. Specifically, for a STA that has negotiated WUR operation with the peer STA (ex. an AP), the modified TWT mechanism can enable negotiation of on/off periods for the wake-up receiver (WURx) of the STA.

[00131] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can modify TWT protocol and TWT frames/elements in order to enable an AP and a STA to negotiate service periods, the power state (sleep mode, active mode) of the WUR inside and outside of these service periods, and the behaviors of the AP and the STA inside and outside these service periods. In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can extend the different modes of TWT to be applicable to the WUR. Some embodiments can include one or more of the following:

[00132] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can modify the individual TWT protocol so that the STA can indicate that during the TWT service period (SP), the WUR will be active, and outside of the TWT SP, the WUR will not be active. As it is possible that the WUR will be in a different channel and band than the radio, it is also proposed to indicate in the TWT element the band and channel on which the WUR will be active (when active). In some embodiments, note that this indication can also be outside of the TWT element and in a separate element that is included in frames that are used to negotiate operation with the WUR.

[00133] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can negotiate an individual TWT, where the STA's radio is active during the TWT SPs and the STA's radio is in sleep mode outside the TWT SPs, but with the WUR being active outside of the TWT SPs.

[00134] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can modify the broadcast TWT protocol with negotiation with the same changes. Now, as in broadcast (BC) TWT, the AP includes TWT elements in certain beacons and can change unilaterally the parameters of the TWT SPs (target time, duration). The STA has to wake up at a certain target beacon transmission time (TBTT) to detect these changes. In the case of BC TWT for WUR, the wake time at TBTT does not concern the WUR, as it is following the target WUR beacon transmission time (TWBTT) which cannot carry the TWT element.

[00135] Therefore, in some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can provide that the negotiation of the wake TBTT is still applicable for the radio and that is where the changes for BC TWT for WUR can be applied. In some embodiments, the AP can wake-up the STA by sending the STA a WUR packet at any time during the negotiated BC TWT SPs to wake up the STA's radio. Once this is done, the AP can send the STA the BC TWT element with the modifications that need to be applied.

[00136] In some embodiments, benefits of systems/devices/methods described herein can include enabling on-off operation of the WUR and extra power savings in the STA side and making minor changes to the existing 802.11 specifications to reuse already defined protocols.

[00137] In some embodiments, TWT operation can rely on the use of

TWT elements. In some embodiments, this element is used for the negotiation (for individual and BC TWT) or unilateral advertisement of changes (for BC TWT) in order to parametrize one or more of the following:

[00138] A) The target time of the service periods, their duration, their periodicity and the interval between consecutive service periods.

[00139] B) The behavior of the AP and the STA inside and sometimes outside the service periods.

[00140] FIG. 11 illustrates an example 1100 of a TWT element format, in accordance with some embodiments. As illustrated, the TWT element format

1100 is repeated for each TWT parameter set when the broadcast field is 1. As also illustrated, octets are provided for the target wake time (TWT), TWT group assignment, nominal minimum TWT wake duration, TWT wake interval mantissa, broadcast TWT ID, and TWT channel.

[00141] FIG. 12 illustrates an example 1200 of a control field format, in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the subfields labeled 1202 can be included as a modification according to one mode of systems/devices/methods described herein by replacing the reserved 4 bits (reserved with respect to how these bits are currently being used in the control field of 802.11) by a new field of 1 or 2 bits, called WUR operation. In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can include a mode (e.g. which is defined by setting this WUR operation to 1 for instance) where the TWT element is used to negotiate specifically the TWT for the WUR, and not for the radio.

[00142] In some embodiments, by setting the WUR Operation field to 0, the TWT is for the radio. By setting the WUR Operation field to 1, the TWT is for the WUR. Note that it is possible to have 2 different TWT negotiations, one for the radio and one for the WUR, or to have only one. These two negotiations can be independent to avoid conflict. Note also that every time the WUR is in sleep mode, the radio should also be in sleep mode.

[00143] By this modification, in some embodiments, it is possible to negotiate both for broadcast TWT and individual TWT the on-off periods for the WUR. When set to 1, the STA's WUR is active during the negotiated TWT service periods, and inactive outside of the service periods.

[00144] In some embodiments, the AP can send wake-up signals to the STA during these SPs. In some embodiments, the STA shall have its WUR active during these SPs and may have its WUR in sleep mode outside of the SPs.

[00145] Using the WUR Operation field, in some embodiments, it is also possible to define another mode of operation (for example WUR operation field set to 2), where the TWT SPs are negotiated for the radio, which means that during the TWT SPs, the radio is active, and outside of the TWT SPs the radio is in sleep mode. The field set to 2 indicates that at any time outside of the TWT SPs, the WUR of the STA will still be active.

[00146] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can optionally add a new field in the TWT element in order to define in the negotiation on which band and channel the WUR will be active. This allows the AP to indicate to the STA on which channel or band it wants the STA to tune its WUR, so that the AP can wake-up the STA. This is particularly useful if the wake-up transmissions are not allowed in some channels like DFS channels, and the AP may use another band/channel (for instance at 2.4GHz) to transmit wake up packets.

[00147] FIG. 13 illustrates an example 1300 of a TWT element format, in accordance with other embodiments. As illustrated, the TWT element format 1300 is repeated for each TWT parameter set when the broadcast field is 1. As also illustrated, octets are provided for the target wake time (TWT), TWT group assignment, nominal minimum TWT wake duration, TWT wake interval mantissa, broadcast TWT ID, and TWT channel like in the embodiment of FIG. 11. In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can further include a field 1302 called WUR band/operating class/channel in the TWT element. This field 1302 is present in certain conditions, which can be when the WUR operation field in the control field is set to 1 or 2 (e.g. see previous section), and, in a preferred mode, only in TWT elements sent by the AP (e.g. which is the one deciding on which channel the WUR will be tuned). Note that if it is desired for the STA to also negotiate the channel, this field can be also included in TWT elements sent by the STA and the negotiation protocol can account for that. In some embodiments, this field can include the band ID and the channel ID or an ID that includes both a clear identification of both the band and the channel on which the WUR shall be tuned.

[00148] In some embodiments, in the alternative, this field (fields) for band/operating class/channel can be included in another element. The TWT element can be included in WUR setup request/response along with the element that includes other WUR parameters and which include the band/operating class/channel fields.

[00149] In some embodiments, for broadcast (BC) TWT, the same modifications defined previously (as for individual TWT) can be included. In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can provide that even for a negotiation of TWT for the WUR, the negotiation of the wake TBTT is still applicable for the radio and that is where the changes for BC TWT for WUR can be applied. All negotiation and change advertisements are done in the beacons sent at TBTT by the AP radio.

[00150] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can provide that the AP can wake-up the STA by sending the STA a WUR packet at any time during the negotiated BC TWT SPs to wake up the STA's radio. Once this is done, the AP can unicast to the STA the BC TWT element with the modifications that need to be applied.

[00151] In some embodiments, systems/devices/methods described herein can include a mode where the AP sends in the Wake-up Beacons scheduled at TWBTT a very short indication (e.g. possibly 1 bit) that some changes have been made for the BC TWT parameters and that the STA should wake-up its radio to listen to a beacon where the new parameters will be displayed.

[00152] Depending upon whether it is mandatory or not for the STA to receive the wake up (WU) beacons at TWBTT, such mode may include modifications. If it is mandatory, this indication can be included only in a few beacons and the AP then considers that all STAs took into account the changes. If it is optional and the WU beacons are simply used by the STA to keep track of time synchronization, or measure RSSI from their serving APs, then this bit should be present for a longer time, and is necessarily less precise.

[00153] The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

[00154] Example 1 is an apparatus of an access point (AP), the apparatus comprising a memory and processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to negotiate one or more parameters for establishing a duty cycle schedule for transmission of wake-up packets for a non-AP station (STA) by exchanging one or more wake-up receiver (WUR) management frames with the non-AP STA, the one or more WUR management frames including the one or more parameters for WUR operation in an element of the one or more WUR management frames comprising a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR Operation element, and to encode wake-up packets for transmission to the non-AP STA according to the duty cycle schedule using the negotiated one or more parameters, wherein the parameters comprise, for the non-AP STA, one or more of an offset, a duration, and a period, wherein the offset indicates a starting time of a wake-up receiver ON window with respect to a reference point, the duration indicates a time duration of the wake-up receiver ON window, and the period indicates a time between consecutive starting times of the wake-up receiver ON window and is longer than the duration.

[00155] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally includes the memory storing at least one of the one or more parameters.

[00156] In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally includes the AP defining the reference point for the duty cycle schedule.

[00157] In Example 4, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally includes determining the reference point using a timing synchronization function (TSF).

[00158] In Example 5, the subject matter of Examples 1-4 optionally includes the processing circuitry causing the AP to transmit a WUR beacon periodically to a wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA and the offset being equal to an integer N times a WUR beacon interval of the WUR beacon and in units of the WUR beacon interval.

[00159] In Example 6, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally includes the processing circuitry causing the AP to signal the offset in the element to the non-AP STA.

[00160] In Example 7, the subject matter of Examples 1-4 optionally includes the processing circuitry causing the AP to transmit a WUR beacon periodically to a wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA and the period being a divisor of a WUR beacon interval of the WUR beacon.

[00161] In Example 8, the subject matter of Example 7 optionally includes a unit of the period having a fixed value.

[00162] In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 optionally includes the processing circuitry being further configured to signal the unit of the period in the element to the non-AP STA.

[00163] In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally includes the processing circuitry being configured to receive the duration and the period from the non-AP STA.

[00164] In Example 11, the subject matter of Examples 1-4 optionally includes the processing circuity being further configured to negotiate on/off periods with the non-AP STA for transmission of the wake-up packet using a modified target wake time (TWT) protocol having a control field adapted to enable the non-AP STA to indicate during a service period of the TWT that a wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA will be active and that outside of the service period of the TWT the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA may or may not be active.

[00165] In Example 12, the subject matter of Example 11 optionally includes the processing circuitry being further configured to transmit the modified TWT protocol on a channel and band on which the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA will be active when active.

[00166] In Example 13, the subject matter of Example 11 optionally includes the control field of the modified TWT protocol including a wake-up receiver operation field having bits with values specifying whether the modified TWT protocol is to be used to negotiate the TWT for a radio of the non-AP STA or the TWT for the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA.

[00167] In Example 14, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally includes the AP and the non-AP STA respectively comprising an IEEE 802.11 access point and an IEEE 802.11 station.

[00168] Example 15 is an apparatus of a non-access point (AP) station (STA), the apparatus comprising a memory and processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to negotiate with an AP one or more parameters for establishing a duty cycle schedule for reception of wake-up packets by the non-AP STA by exchanging one or more wake-up receiver

(WUR) management frames with the AP, the one or more WUR management frames including the one or more parameters for WUR operation in an element of the one or more WUR management frames comprising a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR Operation element; to wake-up a

WUR of the non-AP STA during a service period according to the duty cycle schedule established using the negotiated one or more parameters, wherein the parameters comprise one or more of an offset, a duration, and a period, wherein the offset indicates a starting time of a wake-up receiver ON window with respect to a reference point, the duration indicates a time duration of the wake-up receiver ON window, and the period indicates a time between consecutive starting times of the wake-up receiver ON window and is longer than the duration; to decode a wake-up packet received from the AP during the service period; and to control a radio of the non-AP STA to turn ON in response to the wake-up packet.

[00169] In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 optionally includes the memory storing at least one of the one or more parameters.

[00170] In Example 17, the subject matter of Example 15 optionally includes the processing circuitry being further configured to determine the duration and period and to provide signaling including the duration and the period in a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR

Operation element that is carried in a WUR management frame to the AP.

[00171] In Example 18, the subject matter of Examples 15-17 optionally includes the processing circuity being further configured to negotiate on/off periods of the WUR with the AP for transmission of the wake-up packet using a modified target wake time (TWT) protocol having a control field adapted to enable the WUR to indicate during a service period of the TWT that the WUR will be active and that outside of the service period of the TWT the WUR may or may not be active.

[00172] In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18 optionally includes the processing circuity being further configured to decode a TWT element including a WUR subfield and to tune the WUR to a channel and band specified by values in the WUR subfield.

[00173] In Example 20, the subject matter of Example 18 optionally includes the processing circuitry being further configured to decode the control field of the TWT element of the modified TWT protocol, wherein the control field includes a wake-up receiver operation field having bits with values specifying whether the modified TWT protocol is to be used to negotiate the TWT for the radio of the non-AP STA or the TWT for the WUR.

[00174] Example 21 is a method performed by an access point (AP) to provide wake-up packets to a non-AP station (STA), the method comprising negotiating one or more parameters for establishing a duty cycle schedule for transmission of wake-up packets for the non-AP STA by exchanging one or more wake-up receiver (WUR) management frames with the non-AP STA, the one or more WUR management frames including the one or more parameters for WUR operation in an element of the one or more WUR management frames comprising a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR Operation element; and encoding wake-up packets for transmission to the non- AP STA according to the duty cycle schedule using the negotiated one or more parameters, wherein the parameters comprise, for the non-AP STA, one or more of an offset, a duration, and a period, wherein the offset indicates a starting time of a wake-up receiver ON window with respect to a reference point, the duration indicates a time duration of the wake-up receiver ON window, and the period indicates a time between consecutive starting times of the wake-up receiver ON window and is longer than the duration.

[00175] In Example 22, the subject matter of Example 21 optionally includes negotiating on/off periods with the non-AP STA for transmission of the wake-up packet using a modified target wake time (TWT) protocol having a control field adapted to enable the non-AP STA to indicate during a service period of the TWT that a wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA will be active and that outside of the service period of the TWT the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA may or may not be active.

[00176] In Example 23, the subject matter of Example 22 optionally includes transmitting the modified TWT protocol on a channel and band on which the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA will be active when active.

[00177] In Example 24, the subject matter of Example 22 optionally includes the control field of the modified TWT protocol including a wake-up receiver operation field having bits with values specifying whether the modified TWT protocol is to be used to negotiate the TWT for a radio of the non-AP STA or the TWT for the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA.

[00178] Example 25 is an apparatus of a non-access point (AP) station (STA), the apparatus comprising means for negotiating with an AP one or more parameters for establishing a duty cycle schedule for reception of wake-up packets by the non-AP STA by exchanging one or more wake-up receiver

(WUR) management frames with the AP, the one or more WUR management frames including the one or more parameters for WUR operation in an element of the one or more WUR management frames comprising a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR Operation element;

means for waking-up the WUR during a service period according to the duty cycle schedule established using the negotiated one or more parameters, wherein the parameters comprise one or more of an offset, a duration, and a period, wherein the offset indicates a starting time of a wake-up receiver ON window with respect to a reference point, the duration indicates a time duration of the wake-up receiver ON window, and the period indicates a time between consecutive starting times of the wake-up receiver ON window and is longer than the duration; means for decoding a wake-up packet received from the AP during the service period; and means for controlling a radio of the non-AP STA to turn ON in response to the wake-up packet.

[00179] In Example 26, the subject matter of Example 25 optionally includes means for causing the non-AP STA to negotiate on/off periods of the WUR with the AP for transmission of the wake-up packet using a modified target wake time (TWT) protocol having a control field adapted to enable the WUR to indicate during a service period of the TWT that the WUR will be active and that outside of the service period of the TWT the WUR may or may not be active.

[00180] In Example 27, the subject matter of Example 26 optionally includes means for causing the non-AP STA to decode a TWT element including a WUR subfield and to tune the WUR to a channel and band specified by values in the WUR subfield.

[00181] In Example 28, the subject matter of Example 26 optionally includes means for causing the non-AP STA to decode the control field of the

TWT element of the modified TWT protocol, wherein the control field includes a wake-up receiver operation field having bits with values specifying whether the modified TWT protocol is to be used to negotiate the TWT for the radio of the non-AP STA or the TWT for the WUR.

[00182] In Example 29, the subject matter of Example 28 optionally includes means for causing the non-AP STA, when the bit values of the wake-up receiver operation field specify the TWT is for the WUR, to configure the WUR to be active during TWT service periods and inactive outside of the TWT service periods, and when the bit values of the wake-up receiver operation field specify the TWT is for the radio of the non-AP STA, to configure the radio to be active during TWT service periods and inactive outside of the TWT service periods.

[00183] In Example 30, the subject matter of Example 29 optionally includes means for causing the non-AP STA, when the bit values of the wake-up receiver operation field specify the TWT service periods are for the radio of the non-AP STA, to control the radio of the non-AP STA to be active during the TWT service periods and inactive outside of the TWT service periods, wherein at any time outside of the TWT service periods the WUR is active.

[00184] Those skilled in the art also will readily appreciate that many additional modifications and scenarios are possible in the described

embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the systems and methods described herein. For instance, all optional features of the methods and apparatus described above may also be implemented with respect to the method or process described herein. Specifics in the examples may be used anywhere in one or more embodiments.

Accordingly, any such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the embodiments as defined by the following claims.

[00185] The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b) requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of an access point (AP), the apparatus comprising: a memory; and

processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to:

negotiate one or more parameters for establishing a duty cycle schedule for transmission of wake-up packets for a non-AP station (STA) by exchanging one or more wake-up receiver (WUR) management frames with the non-AP STA, the one or more WUR management frames including the one or more parameters for WUR operation in an element of the one or more WUR management frames comprising a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR Operation element; and

encode wake-up packets for transmission to the non-AP STA according to the duty cycle schedule using the negotiated one or more parameters, wherein the parameters comprise, for the non-AP STA, one or more of an offset, a duration, and a period, wherein:

the offset indicates a starting time of a wake-up receiver ON window with respect to a reference point,

the duration indicates a time duration of the wake-up receiver ON window, and

the period indicates a time between consecutive starting times of the wake-up receiver ON window and is longer than the duration.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the AP defines the reference point for the duty cycle schedule.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference point is determined using a timing synchronization function (TSF).

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the processing circuitry causes the AP to transmit a WUR beacon periodically to a wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA and the offset is equal to an integer N times a WUR beacon interval of the WUR beacon and is in units of the WUR beacon interval.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the processing circuitry causes the AP to transmit a WUR beacon periodically to a wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA and the period is a divisor of a WUR beacon interval of the WUR beacon.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to signal a unit of the period in the element to the non-AP STA, wherein the unit of the period is a fixed value.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive the duration and the period from the non-AP STA and to cause the AP to signal the offset in the element to the non-AP STA.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the processing circuity is further configured to negotiate on/off periods with the non-AP STA for transmission of the wake-up packet using a modified target wake time (TWT) protocol having a control field adapted to enable the non-AP STA to indicate during a service period of the TWT that a wake-up receiver of the non- AP STA will be active and that outside of the service period of the TWT the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA may or may not be active.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit the modified TWT protocol on a channel and band on which the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA will be active when active.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control field of the modified TWT protocol includes a wake-up receiver operation field having bits with values specifying whether the modified TWT protocol is to be used to negotiate the TWT for a radio of the non-AP STA or the TWT for the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA.

11. An apparatus of a non-access point (AP) station (STA), the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

negotiate with an AP one or more parameters for establishing a duty cycle schedule for reception of wake-up packets by the non-AP STA by exchanging one or more wake-up receiver (WUR) management frames with the AP, the one or more WUR management frames including the one or more parameters for WUR operation in an element of the one or more WUR management frames comprising a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR Operation element;

wake-up a WUR of the non-AP STA during a service period according to the duty cycle schedule established using the negotiated one or more parameters, wherein the parameters comprise one or more of an offset, a duration, and a period, wherein:

the duration indicates a time duration of the wake-up receiver ON window, and

the period indicates a time between consecutive starting times of the wake-up receiver ON window and is longer than the duration;

decode a wake-up packet received from the AP during the service period; and

control a radio of the non-AP STA to turn ON in response to the wake-up packet.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the duration and period and to provide signaling including the duration and the period in a WUR Mode element, a WUR

Capability element, or a WUR Operation element that is carried in a WUR management frame to the AP.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 or 12, wherein the processing circuity is further configured to negotiate on/off periods of the WUR with the AP for transmission of the wake-up packet using a modified target wake time (TWT) protocol having a control field adapted to enable the WUR to indicate during a service period of the TWT that the WUR will be active and that outside of the service period of the TWT the WUR may or may not be active.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing circuity is further configured to decode a TWT element including a WUR subfield and to tune the WUR to a channel and band specified by values in the WUR subfield.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to decode the control field of the TWT element of the modified TWT protocol, wherein the control field includes a wake-up receiver operation field having bits with values specifying whether the modified TWT protocol is to be used to negotiate the TWT for the radio of the non-AP STA or the TWT for the WUR.

16. A method performed by an access point (AP) to provide wake-up packets to a non-AP station (STA), the method comprising:

negotiating one or more parameters for establishing a duty cycle schedule for transmission of wake-up packets for the non-AP STA by exchanging one or more wake-up receiver (WUR) management frames with the non-AP STA, the one or more WUR management frames including the one or more parameters for WUR operation in an element of the one or more WUR management frames comprising a WUR Mode element, a WUR Capability element, or a WUR Operation element; and encoding wake-up packets for transmission to the non-AP STA according to the duty cycle schedule using the negotiated one or more parameters, wherein the parameters comprise, for the non-AP STA, one or more of an offset, a duration, and a period, wherein:

the duration indicates a time duration of the wake-up receiver ON window, and

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising negotiating on/off periods with the non-AP STA for transmission of the wake-up packet using a modified target wake time (TWT) protocol having a control field adapted to enable the non-AP STA to indicate during a service period of the TWT that a wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA will be active and that outside of the service period of the TWT the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA may or may not be active.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting the modified TWT protocol on a channel and band on which the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA will be active when active.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the control field of the modified TWT protocol includes a wake-up receiver operation field having bits with values specifying whether the modified TWT protocol is to be used to negotiate the TWT for a radio of the non-AP STA or the TWT for the wake-up receiver of the non-AP STA.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by processing circuitry of a non-access point (AP) station (STA) cause the non-AP STA to:

wake-up the WUR during a service period according to the duty cycle schedule established using the negotiated one or more parameters,

wherein the parameters comprise one or more of an offset, a duration, and a period, wherein:

the duration indicates a time duration of the wake-up receiver ON window, and

decode a wake-up packet received from the AP during the service period; and

control a radio of the non-AP STA to turn ON in response to the wake-up packet.

21. The medium of claim 20, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry of the non-AP STA cause the non-AP STA to negotiate on/off periods of the WUR with the AP for transmission of the wake-up packet using a modified target wake time (TWT) protocol having a control field adapted to enable the WUR to indicate during a service period of the TWT that the WUR will be active and that outside of the service period of the TWT the WUR may or may not be active.

22. The medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry of the non-AP STA cause the non-AP STA to decode a TWT element including a WUR subfield and to tune the WUR to a channel and band specified by values in the WUR subfield.

23. The medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry of the non-AP STA cause the non-AP STA to decode the control field of the TWT element of the modified TWT protocol, wherein the control field includes a wake-up receiver operation field having bits with values specifying whether the modified TWT protocol is to be used to negotiate the TWT for the radio of the non-AP STA or the TWT for the WUR.

24. The medium of claim 23, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry of the non-AP STA cause the non-AP STA, when the bit values of the wake-up receiver operation field specify the TWT is for the WUR, to configure the WUR to be active during TWT service periods and inactive outside of the TWT service periods, and

when the bit values of the wake-up receiver operation field specify the TWT is for the radio of the non-AP STA, to configure the radio to be active during TWT service periods and inactive outside of the TWT service periods.

25. The medium of claim 24, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry of the non-AP STA cause the non-AP STA, when the bit values of the wake-up receiver operation field specify the

TWT service periods are for the radio of the non-AP STA, to control the radio of the non-AP STA to be active during the TWT service periods and inactive outside of the TWT service periods, wherein at any time outside of the TWT service periods the WUR is active.