Granted Patent B2

US 12,640,780 · App. 18/346,806 · Granted May 26, 2026

Inventor: Ahmad Reza Hedayat (Aliso Viejo, CA)

H04B7/0452H04B7/0404H04W74/006H04W84/12

Abstract

Claims (157)

1 . A method, comprising:

establishing a target wake time (TWT) agreement between an access point (AP) and a station (STA);

transmitting, by the AP, a trigger frame comprising a TWT element to the STA;

receiving, by the AP, a response frame from the STA indicating a trigger-enabled TWT

in one or more subsequent trigger frames within a TWT service period (SP), setting a cascade indication subfield indicating further trigger frames;

in each subsequent trigger frame, including a cascade trigger information subfield encoding:

timing information predicting a next trigger frame; and

a TWT flow indicator identifying a specific TWT flow; and

scheduling and transmitting, by the AP, a next trigger frame based on the timing information.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the trigger frame initiates an uplink multi-user (UL MU) simultaneous transmission that allows random access.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the subsequent trigger frame to the STA comprises:

setting a cascade indication subfield of the subsequent trigger frame to a value of 1;

setting a timer/counter value of a cascade trigger information subfield of the subsequent trigger frame; and

transmitting the subsequent trigger frame to the STA.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the cascade trigger information subfield represents one of a timer value, a time reference, or a counter to the subsequent trigger frame.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent trigger frame comprises an indication of one or more of a trigger type, a TWT flow indicator, or one or more other TWT parameters.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the response frame comprises one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

scheduling, by the AP, a plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs within a single beacon interval, wherein each of the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs comprises one or more trigger frames; and

receiving the one or more of the PS-poll frame, the quality of service (QoS) null frame, and the data frame from the STA.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in response to the AP receiving one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame from the STA, the method comprises:

setting, by the AP, a trigger subfield of the TWT element to a value of 1.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

indicating, by the AP, a start of an upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP or an initial trigger frame of the upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP in a last trigger frame of a previous trigger-enabled TWT SP,

wherein the indicating comprises setting the cascade indication subfield to a value of 1 and setting cascade trigger information to a value of a timer/counter in upcoming trigger frames,

wherein the cascade trigger information subfield corresponds to the start of the upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP.

10 . An Access Point (AP) operating in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), wherein the AP initiates an uplink (UL) multi-user (MU) simultaneous transmission in relation to one or more stations (STAs), the AP comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory device, coupled to the one or more processors, configured to store instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the AP to:

establish a target wake time (TWT) agreement with an STA;

transmit a trigger frame that comprises a TWT element to the STA;

receive a response frame from the STA that indicates a trigger-enabled TWT;

in one or more subsequent trigger frames within a TWT service period (SP), set a cascade indication subfield to indicate further trigger frames;

in each subsequent trigger frame, include a cascade trigger information subfield that encodes:

timing information that predicts a next trigger frame; and

a TWT flow identifier that identifies a specific TWT flow; and

schedule and transmit a next trigger frame based on the timing information.

11 . The AP of claim 10 , wherein the trigger frame initiates an uplink multi-user (UL MU) simultaneous transmission that allows random access.

12 . The AP of claim 10 , wherein the AP transmits the subsequent trigger frame to the STA comprises the instructions further cause the AP to:

set a cascade indication subfield of the subsequent trigger frame to a value of 1;

set a timer/counter value of a cascade trigger information subfield of the subsequent trigger frame; and

transmit the subsequent trigger frame to the STA.

13 . The AP of claim 12 , wherein the cascade trigger information subfield represents one of a timer value, a time reference, or a counter to the subsequent trigger frame.

14 . The AP of claim 10 , wherein the subsequent trigger frame comprises an indication of one or more of a trigger type, a TWT flow indicator, or one or more other TWT parameters.

15 . The AP of claim 10 , wherein the response frame comprises one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame.

16 . The AP of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the AP to:

schedule a plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs within a single beacon interval, wherein each of the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs comprises one or more trigger frames; and

receive the one or more of the PS-poll frame, the quality of service (QoS) null frame, and the data frame from the STA.

17 . The AP of claim 10 , wherein in response to the AP receives one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame from the STA, the AP sets a trigger subfield of the TWT element to a value of 1.

18 . The AP of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the AP to:

indicate a start of an upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP or an initial trigger frame of the upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP in a last trigger frame of a previous trigger-enabled TWT SP,

wherein the indication comprises the AP sets the cascade indication subfield to a value of 1 and sets cascade trigger information to a value of a timer/counter in upcoming trigger frames,

wherein the cascade trigger information subfield corresponds to the start of the upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP.

19 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of an access point (AP) in a wireless network, cause the AP to perform:

establishing a target wake time (TWT) agreement between the AP and a station (STA);

transmitting, by the AP, a trigger frame comprising a TWT element to the STA;

receiving, by the AP, a response frame from the STA indicating a trigger-enabled TWT, wherein a trigger subfield of the TWT element has a value of 1;

in one or more subsequent trigger frames within a TWT service period (SP), setting a cascade indication subfield indicating further trigger frames;

in each subsequent trigger frame, including a cascade trigger information subfield encoding:

timing information predicting a next trigger frame; and

a TWT flow indicator identifying a specific TWT flow; and

scheduling and transmitting, by the AP, a next trigger frame to the STA based on the timing information.

20 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the trigger frame initiates an uplink multi-user (UL MU) simultaneous transmission that allows random access.

21 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein transmitting the subsequent trigger frame to the STA comprises the instructions cause the AP to further perform:

setting a cascade indication subfield of the subsequent trigger frame to a value of 1;

setting a timer/counter value of a cascade trigger information subfield of the subsequent trigger frame; and

transmitting the subsequent trigger frame to the STA.

22 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the cascade trigger information subfield represents one of a timer value, a time reference, or a counter to the subsequent trigger frame.

23 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the subsequent trigger frame comprises an indication of one or more of a trigger type, a TWT flow indicator, or one or more other TWT parameters.

24 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the response frame comprises one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame.

25 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24 , wherein the instructions cause the AP to further perform:

scheduling, by the AP, a plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs within a single beacon interval, wherein each of the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs comprises one or more trigger frames; and

receiving the one or more of the PS-poll frame, the quality of service (QoS) null frame, and the data frame from the STA.

26 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein in response to the AP receiving one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame from the STA, the instructions cause the AP to further perform:

setting a trigger subfield of the TWT element to a value of 1.

27 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the instructions cause the AP to further perform:

indicating, by the AP, a start of an upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP or an initial trigger frame of the upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP in a last trigger frame of a previous trigger-enabled TWT SP,

wherein the indicating comprises setting the cascade indication subfield to a value of 1 and setting cascade trigger information to a value of a timer/counter in upcoming trigger frames,

wherein the cascade trigger information subfield corresponds to the start of the upcoming trigger-enabled TWT SP.

28 . A method, comprising:

establishing a target wake time (TWT) agreement between an access point (AP) and a station (STA);

receiving, by the STA, a trigger frame comprising a TWT element from the AP;

setting, by the STA, a trigger subfield of the TWT element to a value of 1;

transmitting, by the STA, a response frame to the AP indicating a trigger-enabled TWT;

receiving, by the STA, a subsequent trigger frame from the AP including an indication the AP will transmit one or more additional subsequent trigger frames to the STA within the TWT SP,

each subsequent trigger frame including a cascade trigger information subfield encoding:

timing information predicting a next trigger frame; and

a TWT flow indicator identifying a specific TWT flow; and

receiving a next trigger frame according to the timing information.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the trigger frame initiates an uplink multi-user (UL MU) simultaneous transmission that allows random access.

30 . The method of claim 28 , wherein receiving the subsequent trigger frame from the AP comprises:

determining, by the STA, a cascade indication subfield of the subsequent trigger frame is set to a value of 1; and

determining, by the STA, the subsequent trigger frame comprises a timer/counter value of a cascade trigger information subfield.

31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the cascade trigger information subfield represents one of a timer value, a time reference, or a counter to the subsequent trigger frame.

32 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the subsequent trigger frame comprises an indication of one or more of a trigger type, a TWT flow indicator, or one or more other TWT parameters.

33 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the response frame comprises one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame.

34 . The method of claim 33 , further comprising:

accessing, by the STA, one or more trigger frames within the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs, and in response:

transmitting the one or more of the PS-poll frame, the quality of service (QoS) null frame, and the data frame to the AP,

wherein each of the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs comprises one or more trigger frames.

35 . The method of claim 28 , further comprising:

determining, by the STA, the STA transitions to a sleep or doze state based on one or more of a value in a cascade indication subfield or a value in a cascade trigger information subfield of a received trigger frame.

36 . The method of claim 35 , further comprising:

transitioning, by the STA, to a sleep or doze state immediately in response to an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) backoff counter decrements to a zero value during a random access procedure of a trigger frame and the cascade indication subfield is set to a value of 1.

37 . A station (STA) operating in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory device, coupled to the one or more processors, configured to store instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the STA to:

establish a target wake time (TWT) agreement with an access point (AP);

receive, by the STA, a trigger frame comprising a TWT element from the AP;

set, by the STA, a trigger subfield of the TWT element to a value of 1;

transmit, by the STA, a response frame to the AP indicating a trigger-enabled TWT;

receive, by the STA, a subsequent trigger frame from the AP that includes an indication the AP will transmit one or more additional subsequent trigger frames to the STA within the TWT SP,

each subsequent trigger frame includes a cascade trigger information subfield that encodes:

timing information that predicts a next trigger frame; and

a TWT flow identifier that identifies a specific TWT flow; and

receive a next trigger frame according to the timing information.

38 . The STA of claim 37 , wherein the trigger frame initiates an uplink multi-user (UL MU) simultaneous transmission that allows random access.

39 . The STA of claim 37 , wherein the STA receives the subsequent trigger frame from the AP comprises the instructions are configured to:

determine, by the STA, a cascade indication subfield of the subsequent trigger frame is set to a value of 1; and

determine, by the STA, the subsequent trigger frame comprises a timer/counter value of a cascade trigger information subfield.

40 . The STA of claim 39 , wherein the cascade trigger information subfield represents one of a timer value, a time reference, or a counter to the subsequent trigger frame.

41 . The STA of claim 37 , wherein the subsequent trigger frame comprises an indication of one or more of a trigger type, a TWT flow indicator, or one or more other TWT parameters.

42 . The STA of claim 37 , wherein the response frame comprises one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame.

43 . The STA of claim 42 , wherein the instructions further cause the STA to:

access, by the STA, one or more trigger frames within the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs, and in response:

transmit the one or more of the PS-poll frame, the quality of service (QoS) null frame, and the data frame to the AP,

wherein each of the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs comprises one or more trigger frames.

44 . The STA of claim 37 , wherein the instructions are further configured to:

determine, by the STA, the STA transitions to a sleep or doze state based on one or more of a value in a cascade indication subfield or a value in a cascade trigger information subfield of a received trigger frame.

45 . The STA of claim 44 , wherein the instructions are further configured to:

transition, by the STA, to a sleep or doze state immediately in response to an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) backoff counter decrements to a zero value during a random access procedure of a trigger frame and the cascade indication subfield is set to a value of 1.

46 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a station (STA) in a wireless network, cause the STA to perform:

establishing a target wake time (TWT) agreement between the AP and the STA;

receiving, by the STA, a trigger frame comprising a TWT element from the AP;

setting, by the STA, a trigger subfield of the TWT element to a value of 1;

transmitting, by the STA, a response frame to the AP indicating a trigger-enabled TWT;

receiving, by the STA, a subsequent trigger frame from the AP including an indication the AP will transmit one or more additional subsequent trigger frames to the STA within the TWT SP,

each subsequent trigger frame including a cascade trigger information subfield encoding:

timing information predicting a next trigger frame; and

a TWT flow indicator identifying a specific TWT flow; and

receiving a next trigger frame according to the timing information.

47 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 46 , wherein the trigger frame initiates an uplink multi-user (UL MU) simultaneous transmission that allows random access.

48 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 46 , wherein receiving the subsequent trigger frame from the AP comprises:

determining, by the STA, a cascade indication subfield of the subsequent trigger frame is set to a value of 1; and

determining, by the STA, the subsequent trigger frame comprises a timer/counter value of a cascade trigger information subfield.

49 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 , wherein the cascade trigger information subfield represents one of a timer value, a time reference, or a counter to the subsequent trigger frame.

50 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 46 , wherein the subsequent trigger frame comprises an indication of one or more of a trigger type, a TWT flow indicator, or one or more other TWT parameters.

51 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 46 , wherein the response frame comprises one or more of a PS-poll frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, and a data frame.

52 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 51 , wherein the instructions cause the STA to further perform:

accessing, by the STA, one or more trigger frames within the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs, and in response:

transmitting the one or more of the PS-poll frame, the quality of service (QoS) null frame, and the data frame to the AP,

wherein each of the plurality of trigger-enabled TWT SPs comprises one or more trigger frames.

53 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 46 , wherein the instructions cause the STA to further perform:

determining, by the STA, the STA transitions to a sleep or doze state based on one or more of a value in a cascade indication subfield or a value in a cascade trigger information subfield of a received trigger frame.

54 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 53 ,

wherein the instructions cause the STA to further perform:

transitioning, by the STA, to a sleep or doze state immediately in response to an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) backoff counter decrements to a zero value during a random access procedure of a trigger frame and the cascade indication subfield is set to a value of 1.

Continuity (8)

References Cited (36)