Wake-up-frame communication of application data
A recipient electronic device that receives a wake-up frame is described. This recipient electronic device may include an interface circuit that communicates with an electronic device, where the interface circuit includes a main radio and a wake-up radio (WUR) that at least selectively transitions the main radio from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode. During operation, the WUR receives the wake-up frame intended for the recipient electronic device, where the wake-up frame comprises a payload field with data. For example, the wake-up frame may specify: a total size of the wake-up frame, and/or a size of the payload field. In response to the wake-up frame, the WUR selectively transitions the main radio from the lower-power mode to the higher-power mode. Moreover, the main radio provides an acknowledgment associated with the recipient electronic device that indicates that the recipient electronic device received the wake-up frame.
1. A recipient electronic device, comprising:
a connector or pad configured to communicatively couple to an antenna; and
an interface circuit, communicatively coupled to the connector or the pad, configured to communicate with an electronic device, wherein the interface circuit comprises a main radio and a wake-up radio (WUR) that at least selectively transitions the main radio from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode, and wherein the interface circuit is configured to:
receive, from the connector or the pad and using the WUR, a wake-up frame intended for the recipient electronic device, wherein the wake-up frame comprises a payload field with data, wherein the wake-up frame specifies at least one of: a total size of the wake-up frame, or a size of the payload field, and wherein the wake-up frame specifies an expectation for an acknowledgement from the recipient electronic device to the electronic device to be communicated using the main radio.
2. The recipient electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wake-up frame has a predefined size.
3. The recipient electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wake-up frame indicates that the payload field is present.
4. The recipient electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the data comprises:
application data, control information, a transmission control protocol acknowledgement, or information associated with a layer in a protocol stack above a physical layer.
5. The recipient electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wake-up frame specifies how the acknowledgement is to be communicated by the recipient electronic device.
6. The recipient electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wake-up frame indicates that the main radio in the recipient electronic device transition from the lower-power mode to the higher-power mode.
7. The recipient electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wake-up frame is compatible with an IEEE 802.11 communication protocol; and
wherein the IEEE 802.11 communication protocol comprises one or more of: IEEE 802.11a; IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE 802.11-2007; IEEE 802.11n; IEEE 802.11-2012;
IEEE 802.11ac; IEEE 802.11ax; or IEEE802.11be.
8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in conjunction with a recipient electronic device, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by the recipient electronic device, cause the recipient electronic device to carry out one or more operations comprising:
receiving, using a wake-up radio (WUR), a wake-up frame intended for the recipient electronic device, wherein the recipient electronic device comprises a main radio and the WUR configured to at least selectively transition the main radio from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode, wherein the wake-up frame comprises a payload field with data, wherein the wake-up frame specifies at least one of: a total size of the wake-up frame, or a size of the payload field, and wherein the wake-up frame specifies an expectation for an acknowledgement from the recipient electronic device to the electronic device to be communicated using the main radio.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the wake-up frame has a predefined size.
10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the wake-up frame indicates that the payload field is present.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the data comprises: application data, control information, a transmission control protocol acknowledgement, or information associated with a layer in a protocol stack above a physical layer.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the wake-up frame specifies how the acknowledgement is to be communicated by the recipient electronic device.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the wake-up frame indicates that the main radio in the recipient electronic device transition from the lower-power mode to the higher-power mode.
14. A method for receiving a wake-up frame, comprising:
by a recipient electronic device that comprises a main radio and a wake-up radio (WUR) configured to at least selectively transition the main radio from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode:
receiving, using the WUR, the wake-up frame intended for the recipient electronic device, wherein the wake-up frame comprises a payload field with data and specifies an expectation for an acknowledgement, communicated using the main radio, from the recipient electronic device to the electronic device;
selectively transitioning the main radio from the lower-power mode to the higher-power mode based at least in part on the wake-up frame; and
providing, using the main radio, the acknowledgment associated with the recipient electronic device that indicates that the recipient electronic device received the wake-up frame, wherein the wake-up frame specifies at least one of: a total size of the wake-up frame, or a size of the payload field, and wherein the wake-up frame specifies an expectation for an acknowledgement from the recipient electronic device to the electronic device to be communicated using the main radio.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wake-up frame indicates that the payload field is present.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wake-up frame has a predefined size.
17. The recipient electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the total size of the wake-up frame indirectly specifies or the size of the payload field directly specifies a variable size of the payload field.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the total size of the wake-up frame indirectly specifies or the size of the payload field directly specifies a variable size of the payload field.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the total size of the wake-up frame indirectly specifies or the size of the payload field directly specifies a variable size of the payload field.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wake-up frame specifies how the acknowledgement is to be communicated by the recipient electronic device.