SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACCESS POINT TRIGGERED TRANSMISSIONS AFTER TRAFFIC INDICATION MAP PAGING

• US 20130208637A1
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Abraham, Santosh Paul, Asterjadhi, Alfred, Merlin, Simone, Quan, Zhi
• Granted Patent: US 9,210,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• 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

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.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of notes are configured to be selectively at least partially powered down during time periods in which the first message is not expected to be transmitted.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data is one of multicast data for one or more nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes and unicast for delivery to individual nodes of the subset of the plurality of nodes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first message is configured to include information indicating a first time period in which the communication medium is reserved for transmission to the subset of the plurality of nodes.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, 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.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, 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.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the process comprises:

reserving a second time period for each node of the subset of the plurality of nodes within the first time period; and

transmitting a first control message within each second time period for each of the subset of the plurality of nodes.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the process further comprises transmitting node data to a node of the subset of the plurality of nodes within a corresponding second time period for that node if a second control message is received from the node during the corresponding second time period.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, 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.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the process further comprises reserving a second time period after the first time period for receiving a third control message from at least one node of the subset of the plurality of nodes, the third control message requesting data to be sent to the at least one node.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the third control message comprises a power save polling (PS-POLL) message.

12. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the process comprises:

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

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 a second control message is not received within the first duration.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first duration corresponds to a distributed inter-frame space (DIFS).

14. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the process comprises transmitting data to each of the subset of nodes during the first period of time.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the process further comprises transmitting a first control message to the subset of nodes before transmitting data to each of the subset of nodes, the first control message indicating a node of the subset for which data will be transmitted during a second time period.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a second node of the subset is configured to selectively be at least partially powered down during the second time period.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the process further comprises transmitting data without sending a control message to any of the nodes indicating data will be sent.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, 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.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process comprises transmitting via the transmitter 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.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the process further comprises transmitting first node data to the first node via the transmitter if a second control message is received from the first node.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the process further comprises not transmitting first node data to the first node if a second control message is not received from the first node.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, 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.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second node is configured to set a network allocation vector (NAV) for the first time period.

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

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

26. 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

initiating a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted.

27. 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

means for initiating a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted.

28. A computer program product, comprising:

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

code for initiating a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes after the first message is transmitted.

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

a receiver configured to;

receive 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

receive data according to a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes, the process being initiated by a node transmitting the first message after transmitting the first message.

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

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

receiving data according to a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes, the process being initiated by a node transmitting the first message after transmitting the first message.

31. 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

means for receiving data according to a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes, the process being initiated by a node transmitting the first message after transmitting the first message.

32. A computer program product, comprising:

computer readable medium comprising;

code 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

code for receiving data according to a process for transmitting the data available to the subset of the plurality of nodes, the process being initiated by a node transmitting the first message after transmitting the first message.