WO2018126377A1

WO2018126377A1 - Lowering power consumption in wake-on-wireless mode

Info

Publication number: WO2018126377A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/070232
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sandip Homchaudhuri; Jian Tao; Yongchun XIAO; Gurpreet MARWAH; Pradeep Kumar Yenganti; Ajay Kumar GAJA
Original assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
Priority date: 2017-01-05
Filing date: 2017-01-05
Publication date: 2018-07-12

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus is configured to receive a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP). The apparatus is configured to transmit, in a network sleep state, a predetermined number of power-save (PS) polls to the AP based on the TIM. The apparatus is configured to receive, in the network sleep state, one or more data packets from the AP in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls.

Description

LOWERING POWER CONSUMPTION IN WAKE-ON-WIRELESS MODE

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to power saving in wake-on-wireless mode.

Background

In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Networks may be classified according to geographic scope, which could be, for example, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks would be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN) , metropolitan area network (MAN) , local area network (LAN) , wireless local area network (WLAN) , or personal area network (PAN) . Networks also differ according to the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g., circuit switching vs. packet switching) , the type of physical media employed for transmission (e.g., wired vs. wireless) , and the set of communication protocols used (e.g., Internet protocol suite, Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) , Ethernet, etc. ) .

Wireless networks are often preferred when the network elements are mobile and thus have dynamic connectivity needs, or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infra-red, optical, etc., frequency bands. Wireless networks advantageously facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment when compared to fixed wired networks.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, computer-readable media, and devices of the invention each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the invention’s desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed by the claims which follow, some features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description, ” one will understand how the features of this invention provide advantages for devices in a wireless network.

One aspect of this disclosure provides a wireless device (e.g., a station) for wireless communication. The wireless device is configured to receive a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) . The wireless device is configured to transmit, in a network sleep state, a predetermined number of power-save (PS) polls to the AP based on the TIM. The wireless device is configured to receive, in the network sleep state, one or more data packets from the AP in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls.

Another aspect of this disclosure provides a wireless device (e.g., a station) for wireless communication. The wireless device is configured to receive a TIM from an AP. The wireless device is configured to wake up the station to enter into a network wake state based on the TIM. The wireless device is configured to receive one or more data packets from the AP. The wireless device is configured to determine a number of filtered packets that are filtered out of the one or more packets. The wireless device is configured to adjust a duration of the network wake state based on the determination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication system in which aspects of the present disclosure may be employed.

FIG. 2 is an example diagram illustrating a power save feature.

FIG. 3A is an example flow diagram illustrating an interaction between a wireless station and an access point, according to an aspect of a first approach of the disclosure.

FIG. 3B is another example flow diagram illustrating an interaction between a wireless station and an access point, according to an aspect of a first approach of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an example timeline diagram illustrating data reception from an access point in the WOW mode, according to the first approach of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an example flow diagram illustrating an interaction between a wireless station and an access point, according to a second approach of the disclosure.

FIG. 6A is an example timeline diagram illustrating an embodiment that considers both filtered and unfiltered data packets for a network wake duration.

FIG. 6B is an example timeline diagram illustrating an embodiment that considers unfiltered data packets without considering the filtered data packets for a network wake duration, according to the second approach of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a wireless device that may be employed within the wireless communication system of FIG. 1 for wireless communication.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of for wireless communication.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of wireless communication, expanding from the flowchart of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of wireless communication

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of wireless communication, expanding from the flowchart of FIG. 8 and/or the flowchart of FIG. 9 and/or the flowchart of FIG. 10

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device for wireless communication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the novel systems, apparatuses, computer-readable medium, and methods are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the novel systems, apparatuses, computer program products, and methods disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of, or combined with, any other aspect of the invention. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the invention is intended to cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the invention set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations and permutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure. Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects are mentioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited to particular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects of the disclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to different wireless technologies, system configurations, networks, and transmission protocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in the figures and in the following description of the preferred aspects. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the disclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Popular wireless network technologies may include various types of WLANs. A WLAN may be used to interconnect nearby devices together, employing widely used networking protocols. The various aspects described herein may apply to any communication standard, such as a wireless protocol.

In some aspects, wireless signals may be transmitted according to an 802.11 protocol using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) , direct–sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) communications, a combination of OFDM and DSSS communications, or other schemes. Implementations of the 802.11 protocol may be used for sensors, metering, and smart grid networks. Advantageously, aspects of certain devices implementing the 802.11 protocol may consume less power than devices implementing other wireless protocols, and/or may be used to transmit wireless signals across a relatively long range, for example about one kilometer or longer.

In some implementations, a WLAN includes various devices which are the components that access the wireless network. For example, there may be two types of devices: access points (APs) and clients (also referred to as stations or “STAs” ) . In general, an AP may serve as a hub or base station for the WLAN and a STA serves as a user of the WLAN. For example, a STA may be a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a mobile phone, etc. In an example, a STA connects to an AP via a Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocol) compliant wireless link to obtain general connectivity to the Internet or to other wide area networks. In some implementations a STA may also be used as an AP.

An access point may also comprise, be implemented as, or known as a NodeB, Radio Network Controller (RNC) , eNodeB, Base Station Controller (BSC) , Base Transceiver Station (BTS) , Base Station (BS) , Transceiver Function (TF) , Radio Router, Radio Transceiver, connection point, or some other terminology.

A STA may also comprise, be implemented as, or known as an access terminal (AT) , a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, a user equipment, or some other terminology. In some implementations, a STA may comprise a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a handheld device having wireless connection capability, or some other suitable processing device connected to a wireless modem. Accordingly, one or more aspects taught herein may be incorporated into a phone (e.g., a cellular phone or smartphone) , a computer (e.g., a laptop) , a portable communication device, a headset, a portable computing device (e.g., a personal data assistant) , an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio) , a gaming device or system, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless medium.

In an aspect, MIMO schemes may be used for wide area WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) connectivity. MIMO exploits a radio-wave characteristic called multipath. In multipath, transmitted data may bounce off objects (e.g., walls, doors, furniture) , reaching the receiving antenna multiple times through different routes and at different times. A WLAN device that employs MIMO will split a data stream into multiple parts, called spatial streams, and transmit each spatial stream through separate antennas to corresponding antennas on a receiving WLAN device.

The term “associate, ” or “association, ” or any variant thereof should be given the broadest meaning possible within the context of the present disclosure. By way of example, when a first apparatus associates with a second apparatus, it should be understood that the two apparatuses may be directly associated or intermediate apparatuses may be present. For purposes of brevity, the process for establishing an association between two apparatuses will be described using a handshake protocol that requires an “association request” by one of the apparatus followed by an “association response” by the other apparatus. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the handshake protocol may require other signaling, such as by way of example, signaling to provide authentication.

Any reference to an element herein using a designation such as “first, ” “second, ” and so forth does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations are used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements can be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element. In addition, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: A, B, or C” is intended to cover: A, or B, or C, or any combination thereof (e.g., A-B, A-C, B-C, and A-B-C) .

As discussed above, certain devices described herein may implement the 802.11 standard, for example. Such devices, whether used as a STA or AP or other device, may be used for smart metering or in a smart grid network. Such devices may provide sensor applications or be used in home automation. The devices may instead or in addition be used in a healthcare context, for example for personal healthcare. They may also be used for surveillance, to enable extended-range Internet connectivity (e.g. for use with hotspots) , or to implement machine-to-machine communications.

FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication system 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure may be employed. The wireless communication system 100 may operate pursuant to a wireless standard, for example the 802.11 standard. The wireless communication system 100 may include an AP 104, which communicates with STAs (e.g.,

STAs

112, 114, 116, and 118) .

A variety of processes and methods may be used for transmissions in the wireless communication system 100 between the AP 104 and the STAs. For example, signals may be sent and received between the AP 104 and the STAs in accordance with OFDM/OFDMA techniques. If this is the case, the wireless communication system 100 may be referred to as an OFDM/OFDMA system. Alternatively, signals may be sent and received between the AP 104 and the STAs in accordance with CDMA techniques. If this is the case, the wireless communication system 100 may be referred to as a CDMA system.

A communication link that facilitates transmission from the AP 104 to one or more of the STAs may be referred to as a downlink (DL) 108, and a communication link that facilitates transmission from one or more of the STAs to the AP 104 may be referred to as an uplink (UL) 110. Alternatively, a downlink 108 may be referred to as a forward link or a forward channel, and an uplink 110 may be referred to as a reverse link or a reverse channel. In some aspects, DL communications may include unicast or multicast traffic indications.

The AP 104 may suppress adjacent channel interference (ACI) in some aspects so that the AP 104 may receive UL communications on more than one channel simultaneously without causing significant analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) clipping noise. The AP 104 may improve suppression of ACI, for example, by having separate finite impulse response (FIR) filters for each channel or having a longer ADC backoff period with increased bit widths.

The AP 104 may act as a base station and provide wireless communication coverage in a basic service area (BSA) 102. A BSA (e.g., the BSA 102) is the coverage area of an AP (e.g., the AP 104) . The AP 104 along with the STAs associated with the AP 104 and that use the AP 104 for communication may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS) . It should be noted that the wireless communication system 100 may not have a central AP (e.g., AP 104) , but rather may function as a peer-to-peer network between the STAs. Accordingly, the functions of the AP 104 described herein may alternatively be performed by one or more of the STAs.

The AP 104 may transmit on one or more channels (e.g., multiple narrowband channels, each channel including a frequency bandwidth) a beacon signal (or simply a “beacon” ) , via a communication link such as the downlink 108, to other nodes (STAs) of the wireless communication system 100, which may help the other nodes (STAs) to synchronize their timing with the AP 104, or which may provide other information or functionality. Such beacons may be transmitted periodically. In one aspect, the period between successive transmissions may be referred to as a superframe. Transmission of a beacon may be divided into a number of groups or intervals. In one aspect, the beacon may include, but is not limited to, such information as timestamp information to set a common clock, a peer-to-peer network identifier, a device identifier, capability information, a superframe duration, transmission direction information, reception direction information, a neighbor list, and/or an extended neighbor list, some of which are described in additional detail below. Thus, a beacon may include information that is both common (e.g., shared) amongst several devices and specific to a given device.

In some aspects, a STA (e.g., STA 114) may be required to associate with the AP 104 in order to send communications to and/or to receive communications from the AP 104. In one aspect, information for associating is included in a beacon broadcast by the AP 104. To receive such a beacon, the STA 114 may, for example, perform a broad coverage search over a coverage region. A search may also be performed by the STA 114 by sweeping a coverage region in a lighthouse fashion, for example. After receiving the information for associating, the STA 114 may transmit a reference signal, such as an association probe or request, to the AP 104. In some aspects, the AP 104 may use backhaul services, for example, to communicate with a larger network, such as the Internet or a public switched telephone network (PSTN) .

In an aspect, the STA 114 may include one or more components (or circuits) for performing various functions. For example, in an aspect, the STA 114 may include a power save management component 126 configured to receive a traffic indication map (TIM) from an AP (e.g., AP 104) , to transmit, in a network sleep state, a predetermined number of power-save (PS) polls to the AP based on the TIM, and to receive, in the network sleep state, one or more data packets from the AP in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls. The PS polls are messages that are transmitted to the AP so as to request the AP to transmit queued/buffered data to the STA 114. The TIM is an informantion element used in 802.11 wireless network management frames (e.g., 802.11 beacon message) , and may indicate which stations (e.g., stations in the network sleep state) have data queued/buffered at the AP waiting to be delivered. The network sleep state is a state where one or more components (e.g., display device) within a STA 114 is disabled to conserve power. For example, in another aspect, the STA 114 may include a power save management component 126 configured to receive a TIM from an AP (e.g., AP 104) , to wake up the STA 114 to enter into a network wake state based on the TIM, to receive one or more data packets from the AP, to determine a number of filtered packets that are filtered out of the one or more packets, and to adjust a duration of the network wake state based on the determination.

Wake-on-Wireless (WOW) is an energy saving feature that a device to enter a low-power state (e.g., sleep state) to save energy and to wake up from the low- power state when a certain event (e.g., incoming message) happens. A WOW mode allows a STA (STA 114) to enter into a sleep state (low-power state) to conserve power while maintaining a wireless network association with an AP (e.g., the AP 104) . For example, the STA may enter into the sleep state by powering down a display and other power-intensive system components while other components remain operational. The STA in the sleep state may wake up (e.g., enter into a wake state) only to handle particular operations that consume more power such as receiving data traffic. Therefore, the WOW mode may lower overall power consumption such as battery power consumption of the STA.

When the STA is in the WOW mode, the following operations may be performed. In the WOW mode, offloads such as an address resolution protocol (ARP) , neighbor solicitation (NS) , etc. may be enabled. In the WOW mode, the STA may minimize communication to a host driver by enabling multicast/broadcast (MC/BC) packet filters to filter out unwanted MC/BC packets. In the WOW mode, the STA may enable unicast packet filters to filter out unwanted unicast packets. In one example, in the WOW mode, the STA may filter out packets that cause high power consumption in communication and/or processing, such that packets causing high power consumption may not wake up an application processor of the STA. In one aspect, an AP may convert MC/BC packets into unicast packets for transmission to a STA, in order to achieve reliability in communication.

One implementation of the WOW mode may cause higher power consumption in certain situations, as follows. Unicast packets that are received by the STA are considered in data inactivity calculations to determine a duration of a network wake state, regardless of whether the unicast packets are filtered out. Because the current implementation of the WOW mode may consider even unicast packets that are filtered out for inactivity calculations, power consumption may be higher than desired. For example, even when unicast packets received by the STA are filtered out, the unicast packets may cause an inactivity timer (or counter) to reset or increase, leading the STA to remain in a high performance mode (e.g., with 80 MHz bandwidth) in a network wake state, where the high performance mode consumes more power than a network sleep state. In addition, the STA may have an auxiliary fixed-size buffer to store incoming data packets, such that the data packets stored in the buffer may be flushed out to an application processor when the STA wakes up. However, because the buffer may not be flushed out to the application processor before the STA wakes up, when the STA transmits a power management bit 0 (PM0) to wake up, the fixed-size buffer in the STA may become overloaded while a WOW exit procedure is in progress to wake up the STA. In particular, when the STA sends a PM0, the AP is allowed to send as much data as possible to the STA, and thus the amount of data transmitted from the AP to the STA cannot be controlled by the STA. For example, assuming that the WOW exit procedure to wake up the STA takes 15-20 msec, the AP can overload the buffer of the STA by sending too much data during the time period (e.g., 15-20 msec) that the STA takes to wake up, and thus the buffer in the STA may become overloaded and some data may be lost. Therefore, using a power saving (PS) poll may be advantageous in that using PS polls allows more flow control of data from the AP to the STA in WOW mode. For example, if a buffer in the STA is about to be filled with data from the AP, the STA may hold off sending more PS polls until a WOW exit procedure is completed.

The WOW mode may cause concerns in power saving when the STA receives unicast packets. For MC/BC packets, in the WOW mode, the STA may remain in a network sleep state until receiving data packets allowed by a filtering module (e.g., custom classification engine (CCE) ) of the STA (e.g., thus not filtered out by the filtering module) . Therefore, for MC/BC packets, the STA may be in a network sleep state to conserve power if received MC/BC packets are filtered out. The data packets that are allowed by the filtering module may be handled by a WOW mode offload handler. However, for unicast packets, the WOW mode may consider the unicast packets in data inactivity calculations to determine a duration of a network wake state, regardless of whether the unicast packets are filtered out, and thus even filtered unicast packets may affect the duration of the network wake state. In particular, for unicast packets in the WOW mode, the STA may send one PS poll and then wake up from the network sleep state by sending a PM0. The adaptive power save features may be disabled for receiving the unicast packets. A static inactivity timeout may be approximately 200 msec, and thus the STA may stay awake in the network wake state for the duration of 200 msec to receive data from the AP. Therefore, the inactivity timeout/network wake duration may not be adaptive. Even in a case where data packets are to be filtered out and dropped (e.g., by the WOW offload handler) , such data packets may still be considered in calculation of an inactivity timeout/network wake duration. For example, the inactivity timer may be reset when data packets are received to extend a duration of the network wake state, even if the received packets are filtered out.

The WOW mode may further raise additional concerns. While the STA is in the WOW mode, a multi chain mode of operation may be used, which is a high power draining mode. Even when packets are being filtered, a high bandwidth mode of operation may be used, which drains power. In addition, the WOW mode inactivity timeout may be the same as the inactivity timeout of a non-WOW mode (e.g., regular mode) .

FIG. 2 is an example diagram 200 illustrating a power save feature. A STA may be initially in a network sleep (NS) state. When the STA receives a traffic indication map (TIM) beacon 202, the STA sends a PS poll 204 to an AP. In response to the PS poll 204, the AP sends data to the STA. The TIM beacon 202 may indicate that the AP has data that is queued to be sent to the STA. If the AP indicates in response to the PS poll 204 that the AP has more data to be sent to the STA (e.g., indicated by more data ＝ 1) , the STA wakes up to a network wake (NW) state to receive more data from the AP. In the NW state, the STA receives more data from the AP until an adaptive inactivity timeout 206 expires. When the adaptive inactivity timeout 206 expires, the STA goes to sleep by entering the NS state. After some time, the STA transmits a speculative PS poll 208 to the AP. The speculative PS poll may not be triggered by the TIM beacon, but may be triggered by the STA to check whether there is more data to be received from the AP. Because the AP indicates in response to the speculative PS poll 208 that the AP has more data to be sent to the STA (e.g., indicated by more data ＝ 1) , the STA enters an NW state to receive more data from the AP. In the NW state, the STA receives more data from the AP until an adaptive inactivity timeout 210 expires. After some time, the STA transmits a speculative PS poll 212 to the AP. Because the AP indicates in response to the speculative PS poll 212 that the AP does not have more data to be sent to the STA (e.g., indicated by more data ＝ 0) , the STA stays in the NS state. At 214, the STA receives a beacon 214 without a TIM because there is no more data to be sent from the AP.

According to a first approach of the disclosure, a STA in the WOW mode may be configured to transmit a predetermined number of multiple PS polls after receiving a TIM beacon from an AP. The STA may send the multiple PS polls while the STA is in an NS state. In response to each PS poll, the STA may receive data from the AP if the AP has data queued to send to the STA. In response to each of the PS polls, the AP may indicate whether the AP has more data to be sent to the STA. If the AP still indicates after the predetermined number of PS polls that the AP has more data to be sent to the STA (e.g., indicated by more data ＝ 1) , then the STA enters an NW state to receive data from the AP for a static duration. The static duration of the NW state to receive data from the AP may be unchanged, and may be a short duration (e.g., 50 msec) . In an aspect, in the WOW mode, an adaptive power save feature may be disabled for handling unicast packets. After the static duration (e.g., inactivity timer) of the NW state expires, the STA enters an NS state to conserve power. If the AP indicates no more data to be sent to the STA (e.g., indicated by more data ＝ 0) when or before the predetermined number of PS polls are sent, the STA may not enter into the NW state and may remain in the NS state. In an aspect, the predetermined number for the PS polls may be selected such that in ordinary conditions, the amount of data to receive from the AP may not generally exceed the amount of data that can be received in response to the predetermined number of PS polls. For example, in ordinary conditions, if x number of PS polls are to be sent to the AP and the STA is configured to receive a data packet in response to each PS poll, the STA may finish receiving data queued at the AP when or before x number of PS polls are sent to the AP. On the other hand, if the amount of data queued at the AP is large, then the STA may still receive an indication that the AP has more data to be sent even after sending x number of PS polls, and thus may enter an NW state for the static duration to finish receiving data from the AP.

In an aspect, a rogue AP detection feature may be implemented by the STA. In particular, the STA may maintain a record of whether the AP has responded to each of the PS polls. If the AP has responded to the PS polls for less than a threshold number or a threshold percentage of the PS polls sent to the AP, the STA may determine that the AP is a rogue AP. For example, with a threshold number of 3, if the STA has sent 5 PS polls and the AP has responded twice, the STA may determine that the AP is a rogue AP because the number of responses by the AP is less than the threshold number. When the STA determines that the AP is a rogue AP, the STA may disable the PS poll mode of operation and may switch to a NW state (e.g., to a PM0 mode) . In such a scenario, other optimizations may remain for WOW mode even when the STA switches to the PM0 mode.

FIG. 3A is an example flow diagram 300 illustrating an interaction between a wireless station (e.g., STA 304) and an access point (e.g., AP 302) , according to an aspect of a first approach of the disclosure. At 312, the STA 304 receives a TIM beacon indicating that the AP 302 has data packets that are queued to be sent to the STA 304. At 314, the STA 304 sends a first PS poll to the AP 302. In response, at 316, the AP 302 sends a data packet (e.g., from the queued data packets) to the STA 304, and indicates to the STA 304 that there is more data to be sent. The STA 304 continues to send PS polls and receives data packets as long as the AP 302 indicates that there is more data to be sent, until the x-th PS poll. Because the AP 302 indicates that there is more data to be sent, at 318, the STA 304 sends an x-th PS poll to the AP 304. In response, at 320, the AP 302 sends a data packet (e.g., from the queued data packets) to the STA 304, and indicates to the STA 304 that there is more data to be sent. Because the AP 302 still has more data to send after x number of PS polls have been sent to the AP 304, the STA 304 wakes up and enters an NW state, at 322. The STA 304 stays awake for a static duration to receive data packets from the AP 302, at 324. At 326, when the static duration for the NW state expires, the STA 304 enters an NS state.

FIG. 3B is another example flow diagram 350 illustrating an interaction between a wireless station (e.g., STA 304) and an access point (e.g., AP 302) , according to an aspect of a first approach of the disclosure. At 362, the STA 304 receives a TIM beacon indicating that the AP 302 has data packets that are queued to be sent to the STA 304. At 364, the STA 304 sends a first PS poll to the AP 302. In response, at 366, the AP 302 sends a data packet (e.g., from the queued data packets) to the STA 304, and indicates to the STA 304 that there is more data to be sent. The STA 304 continues to send PS polls and receives data packets as long as the AP 302 indicates that there is more data to be sent, until the x-th PS poll. At 368, because the AP indicates that there is more data to be sent, the STA 304 sends an x-th PS poll to the AP 304. In response, at 370, the AP 302 sends a data packet (e.g., from the queued data packets) to the STA 304, and indicates to the STA 304 that the AP 302 does not have any more data to send to the STA 304. Because the AP 302 indicates that the AP 302 does not have any more data to send to the STA 304, the STA 304 stays in the NS state.

FIG. 4 is an example timeline diagram 400 illustrating data reception from an access point in the WOW mode, according to the first approach of the disclosure. At 402, the STA receives a TIM beacon indicating that the AP has data packets that are queued to be sent to the STA. At 404, the STA transmits four PS polls to the AP, where the predetermined number is four (e.g., x＝4) . In an aspect, the STA may transmit a different predetermined number of PS polls to the AP. In the example diagram 400, each time the STA transmits a PS poll, the STA receives a data packet and receives an indication that there is more data to be sent to the STA (e.g., more data ＝ 1) . Because the STA receives an indication that there is still more data to be sent to the STA even after the fourth PS poll, the STA wakes up to enter into the NW state. At 406, after the STA enters in the NW state, the STA receives data packets from the AP during the NW duration. After the NW duration expires, the STA enters into the NS state. At 408, the STA receives a beacon without a TIM, and thus stays in the NS state. At 410, the STA receives another beacon without a TIM, and thus stays in the NS state.

According to a second approach of the disclosure, when a STA wakes up to enter an NW state in response to receiving a TIM beacon and receives data packets from the AP, the STA may determine a number of filtered packets and subsequently determine a duration of the NW state based on the number of filtered packets. Because the filtered packets are the packets that are filtered out by the STA such that the STA may not consider the filtered packets, the filtered packets should not be taken into consideration when determining the duration of the NW state. Thus, when one or more received packets are filtered out, the STA may use a shorter duration of the NW state than when none of the received packets are filtered out. With the shorter duration of the NW state, the STA may conserve power when one or more packets are filtered out. For example, the duration of the NW state may be longer when a greater number of packets are not filtered out, and the duration of the NW state may be shorter when there are a greater number of filtered packets (or when a lesser number of packets are not filtered out) .

In an aspect, the STA may reset the duration of the NW state if the STA receives packets that are not filtered out. By resetting the duration of the NW state, the STA extends the total duration of the NW state to receive packets from the AP. On the contrary, the STA may not reset the duration of the NW state if the STA receives packets that are filtered out. Thus, the packets that are filtered out are not taken into consideration in data inactivity calculation. As a result, the total duration of the NW state is reduced when the received packets are filtered out and therefore not considered for purposes of resetting the duration of the NW state, as compared to the total duration of the NW state when the received packets are not filtered out and are considered for purposes of resetting the duration of the NW state.

FIG. 5 is an example flow diagram 500 illustrating an interaction between a wireless station (e.g., STA 504) and an access point (e.g., AP 502) , according to the second approach of the disclosure. At 512, the STA 504 receives a TIM beacon indicating that the AP 502 has data packets that are queued to be sent to the STA 504. At 514, the STA wakes up from an NS state by sending a PM0, and at 516, the STA enters an NW state. At 518, the STA 504 receives data packets from the AP 502 while in the NW state. At 520, while receiving data packets from the AP 502, the STA 504 determines whether any data packets received from the AP 502 are filtered. At 522, the STA 504 adjusts the duration of the NW state based on whether any data packets received from the AP 502 are filtered. For example, the STA 504 may adjust the duration of the NW state to a longer duration if no data packet of the received data packets is filtered out, and may adjust the duration of the NW state to a shorter duration if at least one data packet of the received data packets is filtered out. At 524, the STA 504 enters into an NS state when the duration of the NW state expires.

FIG. 6A is an example timeline diagram 600 illustrating an embodiment that considers both filtered and unfiltered data packets for a network wake duration. At 602, the STA receives a TIM beacon indicating that the AP has data packets that are queued to be sent to the STA. At 604, the STA wakes up from an NS state by sending a PM0 and enters an NW state. While the STA is in the NW state, the STA receives data packets. At 606, the STA receives a particular data packet and filters out the particular data packet. At 606, when the particular data packet is received, the STA resets the duration of the NW state, regardless of whether the particular data packet is filtered, and thus the STA stays awake for the full duration starting from 606 until 608 when a power management bit 1 (PM1) is sent. Therefore, the total duration (d’+d) of the NW state between the transmission of PM0 at 604 and the transmission of PM1 at 608 is extended due to the resetting.

FIG. 6B is an example timeline diagram 650 illustrating an embodiment that considers unfiltered data packets without considering the filtered data packets for a network wake duration, according to the second approach of the disclosure. At 652, the STA receives a TIM beacon indicating that the AP has data packets that are queued to be sent to the STA. At 654, the STA wakes up from an NS state by sending a PM0 and enters an NW state. While the STA is in the NW state, the STA receives data packets. At 656, the STA receives a particular data packet and filters out the particular data packet. According to an aspect of the disclosure, the STA may not take filtered data packets into consideration when determining the duration of the NW state. Thus, at 656, the STA does not reset the duration of the NW state because the received data packet is filtered out. Therefore, unlike the example illustrated in FIG. 6A, the total duration (d) of the NW state between the transmission of PM0 at 654 and the transmission of PM1 at 658 is not extended. According to an aspect of the second approach of the disclosure, the total duration of the NW state is smaller when at least one received data packet is filtered out because the STA does not reset the duration of the NW state for a filtered data packet but may reset the duration of the NW state for a data package that is not filtered out.

The following aspects of the disclosure may be implemented with either the first approach or the second approach. According to one aspect, when the STA is in the WOW mode, the STA sets the communication configuration to a single chain communication configuration (e.g., 1x1 mode that uses 1 receive (RX) chain and 1 transmit (TX) chain) . In the single chain communication configuration, a single RX chain may be used for reception and a single TX chain may be used for transmission. The WOW mode is not a performance intensive mode. Because a multiple chain communication configuration (e.g., 2x2 mode that uses 2 RX chains and 2 TX chains, 3x3 mode that uses 3 RX chains and 3 TX chains) is a performance intensive configuration that consumes more power than a single chain communication configuration (e.g., 1x1 mode) , a single chain communication configuration is more desired in the WOW mode that is not a performance intensive mode. In the WOW mode, the STA may use the single chain communication configuration to receive a beacon as well as data packets. Using the single chain communication configuration to receive data packets may conserve more power than using a multiple chain communication configuration. If the STA switches from the WOW mode to a non-WOW mode, the STA may switch the communication configuration from the single chain communication configuration to a multiple chain communication configuration. In an aspect, the STA transmits a spatial multiplexing power save (SMPS) action frame or an operating mode notification (OMN) frame to move to the single chain communication configuration. In an aspect, when the STA enters the WOW mode, the STA may determine whether to move to the single chain communication configuration based on factors related to the SMPS such as a received signal strength indication (RSSI) . For example, the STA may move to the single chain communication configuration if the RSSI is greater than an RSSI threshold.

According to an aspect, if an adaptive power save feature is enabled, the STA may use a look up table to determine a duration for the NW state based on a congestion level. For example, for more congestion, the duration for the NW state is longer to provide more time to receive data from the AP. If the adaptive save feature is disabled but the WOW mode is enabled, the STA may set the duration for the NW state to a first static duration (e.g., 50 msec) . If the adaptive save feature is disabled and the WOW mode is disabled, the STA may set the duration for the NW state to a second static duration (e.g., 200 msec) , where the second static duration is longer than the first static duration. For example, the following code may be used to implement such features:

According to an aspect, in the WOW mode, the STA may deactivate one or more hardware modules of the STA to receive a non-aggregate packet and to refrain from receiving an aggregate packet. For example, the STA may deactivate hardware modules associated with a physical layer to configure to receive non-aggregate packets but not aggregate packets. Aggregation of packets and deaggregation of aggregate packets may be performed by hardware modules that consume additional power. If hardware modules for receiving/processing aggregate packets are deactivated and thus do not need to be powered, additional power may be conserved. For example, if the STA determines that the AP will not send aggregate packets, then the STA may deactivate the hardware modules associated with deaggregating to conserve power.

According to an aspect, when the STA is in the WOW mode, the STA sets the bandwidth to a minimum bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz) . Because the WOW mode is not a performance intensive mode, the STA in the WOW mode does not need to use a high bandwidth that consumes more power than a lower bandwidth. Hence, when the STA enters the WOW mode, the STA may switch to a minimum bandwidth mode (e.g., a 20 MHz bandwidth mode) .

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a wireless device 702 that may be employed within the wireless communication system 100 of FIG. 1 for OFDMA transmission. The wireless device 702 is an example of a device that may be configured to implement the various methods described herein. For example, the wireless device 702 may comprise the STA 114 or the responding STA 304.

The wireless device 702 may include a processor 704 which controls operation of the wireless device 702. The processor 704 may also be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU) . Memory 706, which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM) , may provide instructions and data to the processor 704. A portion of the memory 706 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) . The processor 704 typically performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored within the memory 706. The instructions in the memory 706 may be executable (by the processor 704, for example) to implement the methods described herein.

The processor 704 may comprise or be a component of a processing system implemented with one or more processors. The one or more processors may be implemented with any combination of general-purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs) , field programmable gate array (FPGAs) , programmable logic devices (PLDs) , application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) , controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entities that can perform calculations or other manipulations of information. In an aspect, the techniques, methods, etc., may be implemented in a modem processor, also referred to as a baseband processor.

The processing system may also include machine-readable media for storing software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean any type of instructions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Instructions may include code (e.g., in source code format, binary code format, executable code format, or any other suitable format of code) . The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processing system to perform the various functions described herein.

The wireless device 702 may also include a housing 708, and the wireless device 702 may include a transmitter 710 and/or a receiver 712 to allow transmission and reception of data between the wireless device 702 and a remote device. The transmitter 710 and the receiver 712 may be combined into a transceiver 714. An antenna 716 may be attached to the housing 708 and electrically coupled to the transceiver 714. The wireless device 702 may also include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and/or multiple antennas.

The wireless device 702 may also include a signal detector 718 that may be used to detect and quantify the level of signals received by the transceiver 714 or the receiver 712. The signal detector 718 may detect such signals as total energy, energy per subcarrier per symbol, power spectral density, and other signals. The wireless device 702 may also include a DSP 720 for use in processing signals. The DSP 720 may be configured to generate a packet for transmission. In some aspects, the packet may comprise a PPDU.

The wireless device 702 may further comprise a user interface 722 in some aspects. The user interface 722 may comprise a keypad, a microphone, a speaker, and/or a display. The user interface 722 may include any element or component that conveys information to a user of the wireless device 702 and/or receives input from the user.

When the wireless device 702 is implemented as a STA (e.g., the STA 114, the STA 206) , the wireless device 702 may also comprise a power save management component 724. The power save management component 724 may be configured to perform the functions described herein.

The various components of the wireless device 702 may be coupled together by a bus system 726. The bus system 726 may include a data bus, for example, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus in addition to the data bus. Components of the wireless device 702 may be coupled together or accept or provide inputs to each other using some other mechanism.

Although a number of separate components are illustrated in FIG. 7, one or more of the components may be combined or commonly implemented. For example, the processor 704 may be used to implement not only the functionality described above with respect to the processor 704, but also to implement the functionality described above with respect to the signal detector 718, the DSP 720, the user interface 722, and/or the power save management component 724. Further, each of the components illustrated in FIG. 7 may be implemented using a plurality of separate elements.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 800 of wireless communication. The method 800 may be performed using an apparatus (e.g., the STA 114, the STA 304, or the wireless device 702, for example) . Although the method 800 is described below with respect to the elements of wireless device 702 of FIG. 7, other components may be used to implement one or more of the steps described herein.

At block 805, the apparatus may receive a TIM from an AP.

At block 810, the apparatus may transmit, in a network sleep state, a predetermined number of power-save (PS) polls to the AP based on the TIM.

At block 815, the apparatus may receive, in the network sleep state, one or more data packets from the AP in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls.

At block 820, the apparatus may wake up the station to enter into a network wake state when more data is to be received from the AP after receiving the one or more data packets in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls.

At block 825, the apparatus may receive data from the AP in the network wake state.

At block 830, the apparatus may enter into the network sleep state when a duration for the network wake state expires.

At block 840, the apparatus may perform additional features, as discussed infra.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 900 of wireless communication, expanding from the flowchart of FIG. 8. The method 900 may be performed using an apparatus (e.g., the STA 114, the STA 304, or the wireless device 702, for example) . Although the method 800 is described below with respect to the elements of wireless device 702 of FIG. 7, other components may be used to implement one or more of the steps described herein.

At block 840, the apparatus continues from the flowchart of FIG. 9.

At block 905, the apparatus may determine a number of responses received from the AP in response to the predetermined number of PS polls.

At block 910, the apparatus may refrain from a further transmission of a PS poll based on the TIM if the number of responses is less than a threshold.

At block 915, the apparatus may enter into the network wake state if the number of responses is less than the threshold.

At block 920, the apparatus may perform additional features, as discussed infra.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 1000 of wireless communication. The method 800 may be performed using an apparatus (e.g., the STA 114, the STA 504, or the wireless device 702, for example) . Although the method 1000 is described below with respect to the elements of wireless device 702 of FIG. 7, other components may be used to implement one or more of the steps described herein.

At block 1005, the apparatus may receive a TIM from an AP.

At block 1010, the apparatus may wake up the station to enter into a network wake state based on the TIM.

At block 1015, the apparatus may receive one or more data packets from the AP.

At block 1020, the apparatus may determine a number of filtered packets that are filtered out of the one or more packets.

At block 1025, the apparatus may adjust a duration of the network wake state based on the determination.

At block 1030, the apparatus may perform additional features, as discussed infra.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 1100 of wireless communication, expanding from the flowchart of FIG. 8 and/or the flowchart of FIG. 9 and/or the flowchart of FIG. 10. The method 1100 may be performed using an apparatus (e.g., the STA 114, the STA 304, the STA 504, or the wireless device 702, for example) . Although the method 1100 is described below with respect to the elements of wireless device 702 of FIG. 7, other components may be used to implement one or more of the steps described herein.

At block 840, the apparatus continues from the flowchart of FIG. 8. At block 920, the apparatus continues from the flowchart of FIG. 9. At block 1030, the apparatus continues from the flowchart of FIG. 10.

At block 1105, the apparatus may set a communication configuration to a single chain communication configuration upon activating the WOW mode, where the one or more data packets are received using the single chain communication configuration.

At block 1110, the apparatus may deactivate one or more hardware modules of the station to receive a non-aggregate packet and to refrain from receiving an aggregate packet.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 1200 for wireless transmission. The wireless communication device 1200 may include a receiver 1205, a processing system 1210, and a transmitter 1215. The processing system 1210 may include a power save management component 1224. The receiver 1205, the processing system 1210, the transmitter 1215, and/or the power save management component 1224 may be configured to perform the various function described herein.

The receiver 1205, the processing system 1210, the power save management component 1224, and/or the transmitter 1215 may be configured to perform one or more functions discussed above with respect to

blocks

805, 810, 815, 820, 825, and 830 of FIG. 8, blocks 905, 910, and 915 of FIG. 9, and blocks 1005, 1010, 1015, 1020, 1025 of FIG. 10, and blocks 1105 and 1110 of FIG. 11. The receiver 1205 may correspond to the receiver 1212. The processing system 1210 may correspond to the processor 704. The transmitter 1215 may correspond to the transmitter 710. The power save management component 1224 may correspond to the power save management component 126 and/or the power save management component 724.

Moreover, means for performing the various functions may include the receiver 1205, the transmitter 1215, the processing system 1210, and/or the power save management component 1224.

The various operations of methods described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the operations, such as various hardware and/or software component (s) , circuits, and/or module (s) . Generally, any operations illustrated in the Figures may be performed by corresponding functional means capable of performing the operations.

The various illustrative logical blocks, components and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other PLD, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, compact disc (CD) ROM (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) , or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Thus, computer readable medium comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., tangible media) .

The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions for achieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

Thus, certain aspects may comprise a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may comprise a computer readable medium having instructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For certain aspects, the computer program product may include packaging material.

Further, it should be appreciated that components and/or other appropriate means for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and/or otherwise obtained by a user terminal and/or base station as applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can be provided via storage means (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a CD or floppy disk, etc. ) , such that a user terminal and/or base station can obtain the various methods upon coupling or providing the storage means to the device. Moreover, any other suitable technique for providing the methods and techniques described herein to a device can be utilized.

It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components illustrated above. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

While the foregoing is directed to aspects of the present disclosure, other and further aspects of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more. ” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112 (f) , unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for. ”

Claims

A method of wireless communication by a station in a wake-on-wireless (WOW) mode, comprising:

receiving a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) ；

transmitting, in a network sleep state, a predetermined number of power-save (PS) polls to the AP based on the TIM； and

receiving, in the network sleep state, one or more data packets from the AP in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

waking up the station to enter into a network wake state when more data is to be received from the AP after receiving the one or more data packets in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls；

receiving data from the AP in the network wake state； and

entering into the network sleep state when a duration for the network wake state expires.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of responses received from the AP in response to the predetermined number of PS polls； and

refraining from a further transmission of a PS poll based on the TIM if the number of responses is less than a threshold.
The method of claim 3, further comprising:

entering into the network wake state if the number of responses is less than the threshold.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a communication configuration to a single chain communication configuration upon activating the WOW mode,

wherein the one or more data packets are received using the single chain communication configuration.
The method of claim 5, wherein the setting the communication configuration to the single chain communication configuration comprises:

transmitting at least one of a spatial multiplexing power save (SMPS) action frame or an operating mode notification (OMN) frame.
The method of claim 5, wherein the communication configuration is set to a single chain communication configuration if a received signal strength indication (RSSI) is greater than a threshold.
The method of claim 1, wherein the duration of the network wake state is 50 milliseconds.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deactivating one or more hardware modules of the station to receive a non-aggregate packet and to refrain from receiving an aggregate packet.
The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more hardware modules are associated with a physical layer.
The method of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth is set to a minimum bandwidth mode upon activating the WOW mode.
The method of claim 11, wherein the minimum bandwidth mode operates at a bandwidth of 20 MHz.
A method of wireless communication by a station in a wake-on-wireless (WOW) mode, comprising:

receiving a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) ；

waking up the station to enter into a network wake state based on the TIM；

receiving one or more data packets from the AP；

determining a number of filtered packets that are filtered out of the one or more packets； and

adjusting a duration of the network wake state based on the determination.
The method of claim 13, wherein the adjusting comprises:

decreasing the duration of the network wake state or maintaining the duration of the network wake state if the number of filtered packets is at least one； and increasing the duration of the network wake state if the number of filtered packets is zero.
The method of claim 14, wherein the duration of the network wake state is increased as the number of filtered packets decreases.
The method of claim 13, further comprising:

setting a communication configuration to a single chain communication configuration upon activating the WOW mode,

wherein the one or more data packets are received using the single chain communication configuration.
The method of claim 16, wherein the setting the communication configuration to the single chain communication configuration comprises:

transmitting at least one of a spatial multiplexing power save (SMPS) action frame or an operating mode notification (OMN) frame.
The method of claim 16, wherein the communication configuration is set to a single chain communication configuration if a received signal strength indication (RSSI) is greater than a threshold.
The method of claim 13, wherein the duration of the network wake state is 50 milliseconds.
The method of claim 13, further comprising:

deactivating one or more hardware modules of the station to receive a non-aggregate packet and to refrain from receiving an aggregate packet.
The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more hardware modules are associated with a physical layer.
The method of claim 13, wherein a bandwidth is set to a minimum bandwidth mode upon activating the WOW mode.
The method of claim 22, wherein the minimum bandwidth mode operates at a bandwidth of 20 MHz.
A station for wireless communication in a wake-on-wireless (WOW) mode, comprising:

means for receiving a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) ；

means for transmitting, in a network sleep state, a predetermined number of power-save (PS) polls to the AP based on the TIM； and

means for receiving, in the network sleep state, one or more data packets from the AP in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls.
The station of claim 24, further comprising:

means for waking up the station to enter into a network wake state when more data is to be received from the AP after receiving the one or more data packets in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls；

means for receiving data from the AP in the network wake state； and

means for entering into the network sleep state when a duration for the network wake state expires.
The station of claim 24, further comprising:

means for determining a number of responses received from the AP in response to the predetermined number of PS polls； and

means for refraining from a further transmission of a PS poll based on the TIM if the number of responses is less than a threshold.
The station of claim 26, further comprising:

means for entering into the network wake state if the number of responses is less than the threshold.
The station of claim 24, further comprising:

means for setting a communication configuration to a single chain communication configuration upon activating the WOW mode,

wherein the one or more data packets are received using the single chain communication configuration.
The station of claim 28, wherein the means for setting the communication configuration to the single chain communication configuration is configured to:

transmit at least one of a spatial multiplexing power save (SMPS) action frame or an operating mode notification (OMN) frame.
The station of claim 28, wherein the communication configuration is set to a single chain communication configuration if a received signal strength indication (RSSI) is greater than a threshold.
The station of claim 24, wherein the duration of the network wake state is 50 milliseconds.
The station of claim 24, further comprising:

means for deactivating one or more hardware modules of the station to receive a non-aggregate packet and to refrain from receiving an aggregate packet.
The station of claim 32, wherein the one or more hardware modules are associated with a physical layer.
The station of claim 24, wherein a bandwidth is set to a minimum bandwidth mode upon activating the WOW mode.
The station of claim 34, wherein the minimum bandwidth mode operates at a bandwidth of 20 MHz.
A station for wireless communication in a wake-on-wireless (WOW) mode, comprising:

means for receiving a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) ；

means for waking up the station to enter into a network wake state based on the TIM；

means for receiving one or more data packets from the AP；

means for determining a number of filtered packets that are filtered out of the one or more packets； and

means for adjusting a duration of the network wake state based on the determination.
The station of claim 36, wherein the means for adjusting is configured to:

decrease the duration of the network wake state or maintaining the duration of the network wake state if the number of filtered packets is at least one； and increasing the duration of the network wake state if the number of filtered packets is zero.
The station of claim 37, wherein the duration of the network wake state is increased as the number of filtered packets decreases.
The station of claim 36, further comprising:

means for setting a communication configuration to a single chain communication configuration upon activating the WOW mode,

wherein the one or more data packets are received using the single chain communication configuration.
The station of claim 39, wherein the means for setting the communication configuration to the single chain communication configuration is configured to:

transmit at least one of a spatial multiplexing power save (SMPS) action frame or an operating mode notification (OMN) frame.
The station of claim 39, wherein the communication configuration is set to a single chain communication configuration if a received signal strength indication (RSSI) is greater than a threshold.
The station of claim 36, wherein the duration of the network wake state is 50 milliseconds.
The station of claim 36, further comprising:

means for deactivating one or more hardware modules of the station to receive a non-aggregate packet and to refrain from receiving an aggregate packet.
The station of claim 43, wherein the one or more hardware modules are associated with a physical layer.
The station of claim 36, wherein a bandwidth is set to a minimum bandwidth mode upon activating the WOW mode.
The station of claim 45, wherein the minimum bandwidth mode operates at a bandwidth of 20 MHz.
A station for wireless communication in a wake-on-wireless (WOW) mode, comprising:

a memory； and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

receive a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) ；

transmit, in a network sleep state, a predetermined number of power-save (PS) polls to the AP based on the TIM； and

receive, in the network sleep state, one or more data packets from the AP in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls.
The station of claim 47, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

wake up the station to enter into a network wake state when more data is to be received from the AP after receiving the one or more data packets in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls；

receive data from the AP in the network wake state； and

enter into the network sleep state when a duration for the network wake state expires.
The station of claim 47, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a number of responses received from the AP in response to the predetermined number of PS polls； and

refrain from a further transmission of a PS poll based on the TIM if the number of responses is less than a threshold.
The station of claim 49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

enter into the network wake state if the number of responses is less than the threshold.
The station of claim 47, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

set a communication configuration to a single chain communication configuration upon activating the WOW mode,

wherein the one or more data packets are received using the single chain communication configuration.
The station of claim 51, wherein the at least one processor configured to set the communication configuration to the single chain communication configuration is configured to:

transmit at least one of a spatial multiplexing power save (SMPS) action frame or an operating mode notification (OMN) frame.
The station of claim 51, wherein the communication configuration is set to a single chain communication configuration if a received signal strength indication (RSSI) is greater than a threshold.
The station of claim 47, wherein the duration of the network wake state is 50 milliseconds.
The station of claim 47, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

deactivate one or more hardware modules of the station to receive a non-aggregate packet and to refrain from receiving an aggregate packet.
The station of claim 55, wherein the one or more hardware modules are associated with a physical layer.
The station of claim 47, wherein a bandwidth is set to a minimum bandwidth mode upon activating the WOW mode.
The station of claim 57, wherein the minimum bandwidth mode operates at a bandwidth of 20 MHz.
A station for wireless communication in a wake-on-wireless (WOW) mode, comprising:

a memory； and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

receive a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) ；

wake up the station to enter into a network wake state based on the TIM；

receive one or more data packets from the AP；

determine a number of filtered packets that are filtered out of the one or more packets； and

adjust a duration of the network wake state based on the determination.
The station of claim 59, wherein the at least one processor configured to adjust the duration of the network wake state is configured to:

decrease the duration of the network wake state or maintaining the duration of the network wake state if the number of filtered packets is at least one； and increasing the duration of the network wake state if the number of filtered packets is zero.
The station of claim 60, wherein the duration of the network wake state is increased as the number of filtered packets decreases.
The station of claim 59, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

set a communication configuration to a single chain communication configuration upon activating the WOW mode,

wherein the one or more data packets are received using the single chain communication configuration.
The station of claim 62, wherein the at least one processor configured to set the communication configuration to the single chain communication configuration is configured to:

transmit at least one of a spatial multiplexing power save (SMPS) action frame or an operating mode notification (OMN) frame.
The station of claim 62, wherein the communication configuration is set to a single chain communication configuration if a received signal strength indication (RSSI) is greater than a threshold.
The station of claim 59, wherein the duration of the network wake state is 50 milliseconds.
The station of claim 59, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

deactivate one or more hardware modules of the station to receive a non-aggregate packet and to refrain from receiving an aggregate packet.
The station of claim 66, wherein the one or more hardware modules are associated with a physical layer.
The station of claim 59, wherein a bandwidth is set to a minimum bandwidth mode upon activating the WOW mode.
The station of claim 68, wherein the minimum bandwidth mode operates at a bandwidth of 20 MHz.
A computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, for a station for wireless communication in a wake-on-wireless (WOW) mode, comprising code to:

receive a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) ；

transmit, in a network sleep state, a predetermined number of power-save (PS) polls to the AP based on the TIM； and

receive, in the network sleep state, one or more data packets from the AP in response to each of the predetermined number of PS polls.
A computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, for a station for wireless communication in a wake-on-wireless (WOW) mode, comprising code to:

receive a traffic indication map (TIM) from an access point (AP) ；

wake up the station to enter into a network wake state based on the TIM；

receive one or more data packets from the AP；

determine a number of filtered packets that are filtered out of the one or more packets； and

adjust a duration of the network wake state based on the determination.