# US 10,375,738 B2 · User station (STA) and access point (AP) and method for random access contention using cascaded trigger frames > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,375,738 B2 - Document ID: US10375738B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/644,949 - Filed: 2017-07-10 - Published: 2018-03-15 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-13 - Assignees: Intel IP Corporation - Applicants: Intel IP Corporation - Inventors: Chittabrata Ghosh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10375738B2 ## CPC - H04L 5/0053: {Allocation of signalling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals} - H04L 5/0023: {Time-frequency-space} - H04L 5/0091: {Signalling for the administration of the divided path, e.g. signalling of configuration information} - H04W 52/42: in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity - H04W 74/006: {in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal} - H04L 5/0064: {Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority} - H04W 52/0216: {using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame} - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract Embodiments of a user station (STA), access point (AP), and method for random access contention in a wireless network are generally described herein. The STA may receive, from the AP, a beacon frame for a beacon interval. The STA may further receive a first random access Trigger Frame (TF) that indicates a first allocation of channel resources for random access contention by STAs during a first uplink transmission period of the beacon interval. The beacon frame may include a transmission timing for the first random access TF and a first TF cascade type for the first random access TF. The first TF cascade type may indicate whether a next TF is a random access TF or a scheduled access TF. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) station, the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to: decode a beacon frame or management frame from a HE access point (AP), the beacon frame or the management frame comprising an information element, the information element comprising a start time for a first trigger frame (TF) with random access allocations; enter a doze state until the start time; decode the first TF, the first TF comprising a cascade indication field and an indication of uplink (UL) allocations, the UL allocations comprising one or more random access allocations, wherein the one or more random access allocations are indicated by values of association identifications (AIDs); determine whether the one or more random access allocations are accessible to transmit a packet, wherein the determination is based on the values of the AIDs being zero to indicate a random access allocation; if the determination is the one or more random access allocations are accessible, select a random access allocation of the one or more random access allocations, and configure the HE station to transmit the packet in accordance with the selected random access allocation, wherein the memory is configured to store the beacon frame or the management frame. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: randomly select the random access allocation from the one or more random access allocations. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: if the determination is the one or more random access allocations are accessible and the value of the cascade indication field is 1, remain awake for a second TF with random access allocations. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information element further comprises one or more additional start times for TFs with random access allocations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the information element further comprises a length field indicating a length of the information element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: configure the HE station to transmit the packet in accordance with one or both of: orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) and multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet is an uplink resource request, an association request, or a probe request. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beacon frame further comprises a traffic indication map (TIM) that indicates whether the HE AP has downlink traffic for the HE station. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selected random access allocation comprises an indication of channel resources for random access contention by stations during an uplink transmission period, and wherein the channel resources comprise subcarriers for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: if the determination is the one or more random access allocations are not accessible, and the value of the cascade field is 0, enter the doze state immediately. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the HE station is configured to operate in a wireless local area network (WLAN). ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the HE station is configured to operate in accordance with Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises: transceiver circuitry coupled to the processing circuitry; and, one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver circuitry. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of a high-efficiency (HE) station, the instructions to configure the one or more processors to: decode a beacon frame or management frame from a HE access point (AP), the beacon frame or the management frame comprising an information element, the information element comprising a start time for a first trigger frame (TF) with random access allocations; enter a doze state until the start time; decode the first TF, the first TF comprising a cascade indication field and an indication of uplink (UL) allocations, the UL allocations comprising one or more random access allocations, wherein the one or more random access allocations are indicated by values of association identifications (AIDs); determine whether the one or more random access allocations are accessible to transmit a packet, wherein the determination is based on the values of the AIDs being zero to indicate a random access allocation; if the determination is the one or more random access allocations are accessible, select a random access allocation of the one or more random access allocations, and configure the HE station to transmit the packet in accordance with the selected random access allocation, wherein the memory is configured to store the beacon frame or the management frame. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further configure the one or more processors to: randomly select the random access allocation from the one or more random access allocations. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further configure the one or more processors to: if the determination is the one or more random access allocations are accessible and the value of the cascade indication field is 1, remain awake for a second TF with random access allocations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the information element further comprises one or more additional start times for TFs with random access allocations. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the information element further comprises a length field indicating a length of the information element. ### Claim 19 A method performed by an apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) station, the method comprising: decoding a beacon frame or management frame from a HE access point (AP), the beacon frame or the management frame comprising an information element, the information element comprising a start time for a first trigger frame (TF) with random access allocations; entering a doze state until the start time; decoding the first TF, the first TF comprising a cascade indication field and an indication of uplink (UL) allocations, the UL allocations comprising one or more random access allocations, wherein the one or more random access allocations are indicated by values of association identifications (AIDs); determining whether the one or more random access allocations are accessible to transmit a packet, wherein the determination is based on the values of the AIDs being zero to indicate a random access allocation; and if the determination is the one or more random access allocations are accessible, selecting a random access allocation of the one or more random access allocations, and configure the HE station to transmit the packet in accordance with the selected random access allocation, wherein the memory is configured to store the beacon frame or the management frame. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises: randomly selecting the random access allocation from the one or more random access allocations. ### Claim 21 An apparatus of an access point, the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to: encode a beacon frame or management frame, the beacon frame or the management frame comprising an information element, the information element comprising a start time for a first trigger frame (TF) with random access allocations; encode the first TF with random access allocations, the first TF with random access allocations comprising a cascade indication field and an indication of uplink (UL) allocations, the UL allocations comprising one or more random access allocations, wherein the one or more random access allocation are indicated by values of association identifications (AIDs), and wherein a value of an AID of the AIDs being zero indicates a random access allocation; configure the access point to transmit the first TF with random access allocations at the start time; if the cascade indication field is encoded with a 1, encode a second TF with random access allocations, the second TF with random access allocations comprising a second cascade indication field and one or more second random access allocations, and configure the access point to transmit the second TF with random access allocations after a transmission period for the first TF with random access allocations is completed; and if the cascade indication field is encoded with a 0, refrain from encoding and configuring the access point to transmit a second TF with random access allocations as a next frame to transmit, wherein the memory is configured to store the beacon frame and the management frame. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: if the cascade indication field is encoded with a 1, encode a second TF with random access allocations, the second TF with random access allocations comprising a second cascade indication field and one or more second random access allocations, configure the access point to transmit the second TF with random access allocations after a transmission period for the first TF with random access allocations is completed, and decode uplink packets from one or more stations in accordance with the random access allocations. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the random access allocations comprise indications of channel resources for random access contention by stations during an uplink transmission period, and wherein the channel resources comprise subcarriers for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the access point is configured to operate in accordance with Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax, and wherein the access point is a high-efficiency (HE) access point configured to operate in a wireless local area network (WLAN). ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus further comprises: transceiver circuitry coupled to the processing circuitry; and, one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver circuitry.