MULTI-BAND LINK-AGGREGATION PRE-NEGOTIATED POWER SAVE MODES

• US 20180092039A1
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Cariou, Laurent, Alpert, Yaron, Stacey, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,609,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/16 Deriving transmission power values from another channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus for implementing power control for a radio device that has multiple radio transceivers operating in different bands, including sub-bands of a single frequency band. The device implements a power control protocol for communications between the device and a similar peer device. The device sets-up the power control protocol by generating a request to use one of the multiple bands to signal power control operations, and to use another one of the multiple bands to transfer data between the device and the peer device. The device sends the request to the peer device and receives a response. Based on the response, the device identifies a control channel band and a data channel band from among the multiple bands.

Claims

1. An apparatus for implementing power control in a device that operates in multiple bands, the apparatus comprising:

an interface to multiple radio transceivers, the multiple radio transceivers operating in different bands of the multiple bands; and

a processor, coupled to the interface and configured to implement a power control protocol for use in communications between the device and a peer device, the processor configured to;

generate a request to use one of the multiple bands to signal power control operations, and to use another one of the multiple bands to transfer data between the device and the peer device during the communications;

encode the request to use the one band and the other band;

decode a response to the request;

identify a control channel band and a data channel band in the multiple bands based on the response to the request and;

activate the radio transceiver for the data channel band in response to receiving a signal on the control channel band.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the bands is an aggregated multi-band channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

deactivate the radio transceiver for the data channel band after receiving data from the peer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein interface to the multiple radio transceivers includes an interface to a Wi-Fi transceiver and the multiple bands include a 2.4 GHz band and a 5 GHz band.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the multiple bands further include one or more bands selected from a group consisting of a 700 MHz band, a 45 GHz band, a 60 GHz band and sub-bands of the 5 GHz band, 45 GHz band and 60 GHz band.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

assign the control channel band and the data channel band to a first power save mode having a first power save mode identifier;

generate a further request to use a first further band in one of the multiple bands to signal power control operations, and to use a second further band in one of the multiple bands to transfer data between the device and the peer device during the multi-band communications;

encode the request to use the first and second further bands;

decode a response to the request; and

assign, based on the response to the further request, a further control channel band a further data channel band of the multiple bands to a second power save mode having a second power save mode identifier.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the power save modes include modes setting at least one of bandwidth, number of antennas, maximum power and activity pattern used in one of a transmit operation or a receive operation.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

encode a request including conditions for switching between the first and second power save modes;

decode a response to the request; and

determine, based on the response to the request, conditions for switching between the first and second power save modes.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the device is a Wi-Fi station (STA) and the peer device is a Wi-Fi access point (AP);

the control channel band and the further control channel band respectively identify respective ones of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode an indication that the AP has data to be sent to the STA, or on which the processor is configured to encode a power save polling frame, or a Null frame having a power management bit according to the respective first and second power save modes; and

the data channel band and the further data channel band respectively identify respective ones of the multiple bands on which the processor is configured to decode downlink data packets according to the respective first and second power save modes.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the device is a Wi-Fi station (STA) and the peer device is a Wi-Fi access point;

the control channel band includes the band of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode one or more of a traffic indicator map (TIM), a delivery traffic indicator map (DTIM) from on which, the processor is configured to encode a power save (PS) polling frame, or a Null frame having a power management bit; and

the data channel band includes the band of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode downlink data packets.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control channel band includes a band of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode a delivery traffic indicator map (DTIM) and the data channel band includes a band of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode broadcast/multicast packets.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device is a station (STA), the peer device is an access point (AP) and the control channel band includes a band of the multiple bands on which the processor is configured to encode a wireless network management (WNM) sleep mode request, the WNM sleep mode request including an indication that the STA supports WNM sleep mode and a request for an idle period.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control channel band includes a plurality of bands of the multiple bands on which the processor is configured to encode respectively different WNM sleep mode requests.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control channel band includes a band of the multiple bands on which the processor is configured to encode a PS polling frame.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control channel band includes at least one band of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode automatic power save delivery (APSD) traffic indicator maps (TIMs) or APSD delivery traffic indicator maps (DTIMs) and at least one band on which the processor is configured to encode multi-band unscheduled APSD trigger frames and the data channel band includes at least one band of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode downlink data.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control channel band includes at least one band of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode multi-band scheduled automatic power save delivery (APSD) traffic indicator maps (TIMs) or APSD delivery traffic indicator maps (DTIMs) and the data channel band includes at least one band of the multiple bands from which the processor is configured to decode downlink data.

17. A power control method for a device that includes multiple radio transceivers operating in multiple bands, the method comprising:

generating a request to use one of the multiple bands to signal power control operations for the device, and to use another one of the multiple bands to transfer data between the device and the peer device;

encoding the request to use the one band and the other band;

decoding a response to the request;

identifying a control channel band and a data channel band in the multiple bands based on the response to the request;

receiving an indication on the control channel that data is available for the device; and

transitioning the transceiver corresponding to the data channel band from a sleep state to and active state responsive to the indication on the control channel.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating the request to use one of the multiple bands to transfer data between the device and the peer device includes generating a request to use an aggregated multi-band channel as the data channel band.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving data from the peer on the data channel band; and

after receiving the data from the peer on the data channel band, deactivating the data channel band.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the device is a Wi-Fi station (STA) and the peer device is a Wi-Fi access point (AP) and the method further comprises decoding one of a traffic indicator map (TIM) or a delivery traffic indicator map (DTIM) from the control channel band.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the device is a station (STA), the peer device is an access point (AP) and the method further comprises encoding, for transmission to the AP on the control channel band, a wireless network management (WNM) sleep mode request, the WNM sleep mode request including an indication that the STA supports WNM sleep mode and a request for an idle period.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the device is a station (STA), the peer device is an access point (AP), and the method further comprises encoding multi-band unscheduled APSD trigger frames for transmission to the AP on the control channel band.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause a processor of a device that includes multiple radio transceivers operating in multiple bands to:

generate a request to use one of the multiple bands to signal power control operations for the device, and to use another one of the multiple bands to transfer data between the device and the peer device;

encode the request to use the one band and the other band;

decode a response to the request;

identify a control channel band and a data channel band in the multiple bands based on the response to the request; and

activate the radio transceiver for the data channel band in response to receiving a signal on the control channel band.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions are configured cause the processor to generate the request to use one of the multiple bands to transfer data between the device and the peer device includes instructions that cause the processor to generate a request to use an aggregated multi-band channel as the data channel band.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the device is a station (STA), the peer device is an access point (AP) and the program instructions are further configured to cause the processor to encode a wireless network management (WNW) sleep mode request, the WNM sleep mode request including an indication that the STA supports WNM sleep mode and a request for an idle period for transmission to the AP on the control channel.