Systems and methods for access point triggered transmissions after traffic indication map paging

• US 9,210,720 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Abraham, Santosh Paul, Asterjadhi, Alfred, Wentink, Maarten Menzo, Merlin, Simone, Quan, Zhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Jr., Otis L
• Application Number:
  US13/720,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/121 for groups of terminals or users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for reducing collisions in a wireless communications network are described herein. In one aspect an apparatus for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes a transmitter configured to transmit a first message over a communication medium to a plurality of nodes configured to be selectively at least partially powered down during time periods in which the first message is not expected to be transmitted. The first message indicates a subset of the plurality of nodes for which data is available for transmission. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to initiate a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a first message over a communication medium to a plurality of nodes, wherein the first message indicates a subset of the plurality of nodes for which data is available for transmission, the first message further indicating a time at which data will be transmitted to nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes and indicating a first time period in which the communication medium is reserved for transmission to the subset of the plurality of nodes; and

a controller configured to initiate a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted, wherein the process comprises;

transmitting a first control message to a first node of the subset of the plurality of nodes;

transmitting data for the first node to the first node if a second control message is received from the first node within a first duration after the first control message is sent to the first node; and

transmitting the first control message to a second node of the subset if the second control message is not received within the first duration.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes are configured to be selectively at least partially powered down during time periods in which the first message is not expected to be transmitted, wherein the controller is further configured to reserve a second time period for each node of the subset of the plurality of nodes within the first time period for transmitting unicast data to each node, and wherein the first control message is transmitted within each respective second time period and indicates the apparatus will transmit unicast data to the node to which the first control message is transmitted.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a third control message from at least one node of the subset of the plurality of nodes during the respective second time period, the third control message requesting data to be sent to the at least one node.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the third control message comprises a power save polling (PS-POLL) message.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit data to each of the subset of nodes during the first time period.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a receiver configured to receive a third control message requesting data from a node of the subset after data is transmitted to each of the subset of nodes.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein nodes not included in the subset of the plurality of nodes are configured be at least partially powered down during the first time period.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the nodes not included in the subset of the plurality of nodes are configured to set a network allocation vector (NAV) for the first time period.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit node data to a node of the subset of the plurality of nodes within a corresponding second time period for that node if the second control message is received from the node during the corresponding second time period.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each node is configured to be selectively at least partially powered down for a third time period within a corresponding second time period if the first control message transmitted within the corresponding second time period indicates data is scheduled to be transmitted to another node of the subset.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first duration corresponds to a distributed inter-frame space (DIFS).

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first node of the subset is configured to selectively be at least partially powered down during a second time period of a second node.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit a first control message to the subset of nodes, the first control message indicating a first node of the subset of the plurality of nodes.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit first node data to the first node via the transmitter if the second control message is received from the first node.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit first node data to the first node if the second control message is not received from the first node.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a second node is configured to be selectively at least partially powered down for a first period of time after receiving the first control message.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second node is configured to set a network allocation vector (NAV) for the first time period.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a traffic indication map (TIM) paging message.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the first message according to an IEEE 802.11ah protocol.

20. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising:

transmitting a first message over a communication medium to a plurality of nodes, wherein the first message indicates a subset of the plurality of nodes for which data is available for transmission, the first message further indicating a time at which data will be transmitted to nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes and indicating a first time period in which the communication medium is reserved for transmission to the subset of the plurality of nodes; and

initiating a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted, wherein the process comprises;

transmitting a first control message to a first node of the subset of the plurality of nodes;

transmitting data for the first node to the first node if a second control message is received from the first node within a first duration after the first control message is sent to the first node; and

transmitting the first control message to a second node of the subset if the second control message is not received within the first duration.

21. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting a first message over a communication medium to a plurality of nodes, wherein the first message indicates a subset of the plurality of nodes for which data is available for transmission, the first message further indicating a time at which data will be transmitted to nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes and indicating a first time period in which the communication medium is reserved for transmission to the subset of the plurality of nodes; and

means for initiating a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted, wherein the process comprises;

means for transmitting a first control message to a first node of the subset of the plurality of nodes;

means for transmitting data for the first node to the first node if a second control message is received from the first node within a first duration after the first control message is sent to the first node; and

means for transmitting the first control message to a second node of the subset if the second control message is not received within the first duration.

22. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for transmitting a first message over a communication medium to a plurality of nodes, wherein the first message indicates a subset of the plurality of nodes for which data is available for transmission, the first message further indicating a time at which data will be transmitted to nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes and indicating a first time period in which the communication medium is reserved for transmission to the subset of the plurality of nodes; and

code for initiating a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted, wherein the code for initiating the process comprises;

code for transmitting a first control message to a first node of the subset of the plurality of nodes;

code for transmitting data for the first node to the first node if a second control message is received from the first node within a first duration after the first control message is sent to the first node; and

code for transmitting the first control message to a second node of the subset if the second control message is not received within the first duration.

23. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising:

receiving, via a wireless device, a first message over a communication medium, the first message being transmitted to a plurality of nodes, wherein the first message indicates a subset of the plurality of nodes for which data is available for transmission, the first message further indicating a time at which data will be transmitted to nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes and indicating a first time period in which the communication medium is reserved for transmission to the subset of the plurality of nodes; and

receiving data according to a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted, wherein the process for transmitting further comprises;

transmitting a first control message to a first node of the subset of the plurality of nodes;

transmitting data for the first node to the first node if a second control message is received from the first node within a first duration after the first control message is sent to the first node; and

transmitting the first control message to a second node of the subset if the second control message is not received within the first duration.

24. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first message over a communication medium, the first message being transmitted to a plurality of nodes, wherein the first message indicates a subset of the plurality of nodes for which data is available for transmission, the first message further indicating a time at which data will be transmitted to nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes and indicating a first time period in which the communication medium is reserved for transmission to the subset of the plurality of nodes; and

means for receiving data according to a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted, wherein the process for transmitting further comprises;

means transmitting a first control message to a first node of the subset of the plurality of nodes

transmitting data for the first node to the first node if a second control message is received from the first node within a first duration after the first control message is sent to the first node; and

transmitting the first control message to a second node of the subset if the second control message is not received within the first duration.

25. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for receiving, via a wireless device, a first message over a communication medium, the first message being transmitted to a plurality of nodes, wherein the first message indicates a subset of the plurality of nodes for which data is available for transmission, the first message further indicating a time at which data will be transmitted to nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes and indicating a first time period in which the communication medium is reserved for transmission to the subset of the plurality of nodes; and

code for receiving data according to code for a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted, wherein the code for the process for transmitting further comprises;

code for transmitting a first control message to a first node of the subset of the plurality of nodes transmitting data for the first node to the first node if a second control message is received from the first node within a first duration after the first control message is sent to the first node; and

transmitting the first control message to a second node of the subset if the second control message is not received within the first duration.