CLIENT' DEVICE POWER REDUCTION IN WIRELESS NETWORKS HAVING NETWORK-COMPUTED CLIENT' LOCATION

• US 20120106418A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: XHAFA, ARITON E., VEDANTHAM, RAMANUJA, WATERS, DERIC WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US13/282,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20120106418A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of reducing client power consumption in a wireless network including a network server which provides computed client'"'"' locations, at least one access point (AP), and a plurality of wireless stations (STAs) including a first wireless station (STA1). The AP periodically sends beacon frames that span a beacon period, wherein at least a first beacon frame is sent during the beacon period. The STA1 sends a location request frame to the AP requesting a STA1 location. During the beacon period the STA1 wakes up from a powersave (PS) mode or a sleep mode and sends a PSPoll frame to the AP. Responsive to the PSPoll frame, the AP replies with a priority response being a data frame including a location response packet including the STA1 location or a Null frame if the STA1 location is not available.

Claims

1. A method of reducing client power consumption in a wireless network including a network server which provides computed client'"'"' locations, at least one access point (AP), and a plurality of wireless stations (STAs) including a first wireless station (STA1), comprising:

said AP periodically sending beacon frames that span a beacon period, wherein at least a first beacon frame is sent during said beacon period;

said STA1 sending a location request frame to said AP requesting a STA1 location;

during said beacon period said STA1 waking up from a powersave (PS) mode or a sleep mode and sending a PSPoll frame to said AP, and

responsive to said PSPoll frame, said AP replying with a priority response comprising a data frame including a location response packet including said STA1 location or a Null frame if said STA1 location is not available.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said priority response includes a time stamp that identifies when said STA1 location was computed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said Null frame or said data frame is at a head of a queue corresponding to its respective access category.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said Null frame or said data frame is in its queue based on a time of arrival of said PSPoll frame at said AP.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising said AP sending an acknowledgment (ACK) responsive to said PSPoll frame before transmitting said data, and said STA1 sending an ACK responsive to said AP transmitting said data frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said AP responds to said PSPoll frame without an acknowledgment (ACK) before sending said priority response.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said STA1 sending said location request frame comprises sending a path-loss measurement (PLM) packet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said STA1 is in said PS mode immediately before sending said PSPoll frame, and wherein said STA1 participates in wireless network communications using said wireless network while in said PS mode.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said priority response includes a time stamp that identifies when said STA1 location was computed, further comprising having said STA1 go to sleep if said priority response is a Null frame or said time stamp indicates said STA1 location was computed prior to a most recent path-loss measurement (PLM) packet sent by said STA1.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of STAs functions in said wireless network as said AP (a soft-AP).

11. A wireless access point (AP) for operation in a wireless network including a central network server and a plurality of STAs including a first wireless station (STA1), said AP comprising:

a first wireless transceiver coupled to an antenna configured for communication via a first wireless network over at least a first band, and

a processor implementing;

(i) periodically sending beacon frames that span a beacon period, wherein at least a first beacon frame is sent during said beacon period, and

(ii) a location request scheduler coupled to said first wireless transceiver that is responsive to a PSPoll frame received for said STA1 that during said beacon period wakes up from a powersave (PS) mode or a sleep mode and sends a PSPoll frame to said AP replies with a priority response comprising a data frame including a location response packet including a location of said STA1 (STA1 location) or a Null frame if said STA1 location is not available.

12. The AP of claim 11, wherein said priority response includes a time stamp that identifies when said STA1 location was computed.

13. The AP of claim 11, wherein said Null frame or said data frame is at a head of a queue corresponding to its respective access category.

14. The AP of claim 11, wherein said Null frame or said data frame is in its queue based on a time of arrival of said PSPoll frame at said AP.

15. A wireless network, comprising:

a central network server;

an access point (AP);

a plurality of STAs including a first wireless station (STA1),

wherein said AP comprises;

a first wireless transceiver coupled to an antenna configured for communication via a first wireless network over at least a first band, and

a processor implementing;

(i) periodically sending beacon frames that span a beacon period, wherein at least a first beacon frame is sent during said beacon period, and

(ii) a location request scheduler coupled to said first wireless transceiver that is responsive to a PSPoll frame received for said STA1 that during said beacon period wakes up from a powersave (PS) mode or a sleep mode and sends a PSPoll frame to said AP replies with a priority response comprising a data frame including a location response packet including a location of said STA1 (STA1 location) or a Null frame if said STA1 location is not available.

16. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein said wireless network is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

17. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein said priority response includes a time stamp that identifies when said STA1 location was computed.

18. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein said Null frame or said data frame is at a head of a queue corresponding to its respective access category.

19. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein said Null frame or said data frame is in its queue based on a time of arrival of said PSPoll frame at said AP.

20. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein at least one of said plurality of STAs includes said processor including said location request scheduler that functions in said wireless network as said AP (a soft-AP).