Systems and methods for providing wireless asymmetric network architectures of wireless devices with power management features

• US 10,028,220 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2015
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zainar, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Locix, Inc
• Inventors: Subramanian, Vivek, Alon, Elad, Pavate, Vikram
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yang, Zhaohui
• Application Number:
  US14/607,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20160219516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/445 with switching in a hub, e.g. ETHERNET switch
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for implementing power management features while providing a wireless asymmetric network are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system includes a hub having a wireless control device that is configured to control communications and power consumption in the wireless asymmetric network architecture and sensor nodes each having at least one sensor and a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional communications with the wireless control device of the hub. The wireless control device is configured to determine a scheduled timing of operating each sensor node during a first time period that is close in time with respect to a transmit window of the transmitter and during a second time period that is close in time with respect to a receive window of the receiver for each wireless device to reduce power consumption of the wireless devices of the sensor nodes.

Claims

1. A system for providing a wireless asymmetric network architecture, comprising:

a first hub having a wireless control device that is configured to control communications and power consumption in the wireless asymmetric network architecture; and

a first plurality of sensor nodes each having at least one sensor and a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional communications with the wireless control device of the first hub in the wireless asymmetric network architecture, wherein the wireless control device of the first hub is configured to determine a timing of each communication that is received from each wireless device during a transmit window for each wireless device, to determine a timing separation of respective transmit and receive windows of each wireless device, and to determine a scheduled timing of operating each sensor node during a transmit window of the transmitter and during a receive window of the receiver for each wireless device in response to the timing of each communication that is received by the first hub from each wireless device during a respective transmit window for each wireless device and in response to the determined timing separation of respective transmit and receive windows of each wireless device to reduce power consumption of the wireless devices of the first plurality of sensor nodes, wherein the transmit window and the receive window for each wireless device do not overlap each other.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first hub is powered by a mains electrical source and the first plurality of sensor nodes are each powered by a battery source to form the wireless asymmetric network architecture.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each sensor node operates at a first clock speed for the transmit and receive windows, wherein each sensor node operates at a second clock speed when outside of the transmit and receive windows, wherein the second clock speed is a reduced clock speed to reduce power consumption of each sensor node in comparison to the first clock speed.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one sensor node to operate with a battery source that includes a rechargeable battery designed for recharging, wherein the at least one sensor node includes a capacitor or is coupled to a capacitor to store energy from energy harvesting of a vibrational harvesting circuit that is used to avoid deep discharge of the battery source.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second hub having a wireless control device that is configured to control communications and power consumption in the wireless asymmetric network architecture; and

a second plurality of sensor nodes each having at least one sensor and a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional communications with the wireless control device of the second hub in the wireless asymmetric network architecture, wherein the wireless control device of the second hub is configured to determine a scheduled timing of operating each sensor node of the second plurality of sensor nodes during a transmit window of the transmitter and during a receive window of the receiver for each wireless device to reduce power consumption of the wireless devices of the second plurality of sensor nodes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless asymmetric network architecture comprises a wireless tree asymmetric network architecture or a wireless tree and mesh asymmetric network architecture.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one sensor node to operate with a battery source that includes a primary cell that is not intended for recharging, wherein the at least one sensor node includes a capacitor or is coupled to a capacitor to store energy from energy harvesting of a vibrational harvesting circuit to trickle charge the primary cell thus increasing effective battery capacity by compensating for energy drawn from the battery source during operation, or lost due to self-discharge of the battery source.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless control device of the first hub includes radio frequency (RF) circuitry that operates at a frequency band greater than 2.4 GigaHertz (GHz), wherein the transmitter and the receiver of each wireless device of the first plurality of nodes also operates at a frequency band greater than 2.4 GHz in order to minimize a time period for powering RF circuitry of the transmitter and a time period for powering RF circuitry of the receiver for each wireless device to reduce power consumption of the wireless devices of the first plurality of nodes.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the RF circuitry of the first hub operates at a frequency band greater than 5 GHz, wherein the transmitter and the receiver of each wireless device of the first plurality of nodes also operates at a frequency band greater than 5 GHz in order minimize the time period for powering RF circuitry of the transmitter and the time period for powering RF circuitry of the receiver for each wireless device to reduce power consumption of the wireless devices of the first plurality of nodes.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each sensor node operates at a first power consumption level for the transmit and receive windows.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each sensor node operates at a second power consumption level when outside of the transmit and receive windows, wherein the first power consumption level has more power consumption than the second power consumption level.

12. An apparatus for providing a wireless asymmetric network architecture, comprising:

a memory for storing instructions;

one or more processing units to execute instructions to establish and control communications in the wireless asymmetric network architecture; and

radio frequency (RF) circuitry to transmit and receive communications in the wireless asymmetric network architecture, the RF circuitry to transmit communications to a plurality of sensor nodes each having at least one sensor and a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional communications with the RF circuitry of the apparatus in the wireless asymmetric network architecture, wherein the one or more processing units to execute instructions to determine a timing of each communication that is received from each wireless device during a transmit window for each wireless device, to determine a timing separation of respective transmit and receive windows of each wireless device, and to determine a scheduled timing of operating at least one sensor node during a transmit window of the transmitter and during a receive window of the receiver for at least one wireless device in response to the timing of each communication that is received by the RF circuitry of the apparatus from each wireless device during a respective transmit window for each wireless device and in response to the determined timing separation of respective transmit and receive windows of each wireless device to reduce power consumption of the at least one wireless device of the first plurality of sensor nodes, wherein the transmit window and the receive window for each wireless device do not overlap each other.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is powered by a mains electrical source and the plurality of sensor nodes are each powered by a battery source or another energy source to form the wireless asymmetric network architecture.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one wireless device of at least one sensor node operates at a first clock speed for the transmit and receive windows.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one sensor node operates at a second clock speed when outside of the transmit and receive windows, wherein the second clock speed is a reduced clock speed to reduce power consumption of the at least sensor node in comparison to the first clock speed.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the wireless asymmetric network architecture comprises at least one of a wireless tree asymmetric network architecture or a wireless tree and mesh asymmetric network architecture.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one wireless device of at least one sensor node operates at a first power consumption level for the transmit and receive windows.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one sensor node operates at a second power consumption level when outside of the transmit and receive windows, wherein the first power consumption level has more power consumption than the second power consumption level.

19. A method for reducing power consumption in a wireless asymmetric network architecture, comprising:

receiving, with radio frequency (RF) circuitry of a hub, communications from a plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional communications with the hub to form the wireless asymmetric network architecture;

determining a timing of each communication that is received from each wireless device during a transmit window for each wireless device;

determining a timing separation of respective transmit and receive windows of each wireless device; and

determining, with processing logic of the hub, a scheduled timing of operating at least one sensor node during a transmit window of the transmitter and during a receive window of the receiver for each wireless device in response to the timing of each communication that is received by the RF circuitry of the hub from each wireless device during a respective transmit window for each wireless device and in response to the determined timing separation of respective transmit and receive windows of each wireless device to reduce power consumption of the wireless devices of the plurality of sensor nodes, wherein the transmit window and the receive window for each wireless device do not overlap each other.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the hub is powered by a mains electrical source and the plurality of nodes are each powered by a battery source or another energy source to form the wireless asymmetric network architecture.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein each sensor node operates at a first clock speed for the transmit and receive windows.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each sensor node operates at a second clock speed when outside of the transmit and receive windows, wherein the second clock speed is a reduced clock speed to reduce power consumption of each sensor node in comparison to the first clock speed.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless asymmetric network architecture comprises a wireless tree asymmetric network architecture.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless asymmetric network architecture comprises a wireless tree and mesh asymmetric network architecture.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein each sensor node operates at a first power consumption level for the transmit and receive windows.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein each sensor node operates at a second power consumption level when outside of the transmit and receive windows, wherein the first power consumption level has more power consumption than the second power consumption level.

27. A sensor node for a wireless asymmetric network architecture, comprising:

at least one sensor;

a memory for storing instructions;

processing logic coupled to the memory and the at least one sensor, the processing logic to execute instructions for processing data received from the at least one sensor and for processing communications for the sensor node; and

radio frequency (RF) circuitry coupled to the processing logic, the RF circuitry includes transmitter and receiver functionality to transmit communications to a hub and to receive communications from the hub in the wireless asymmetric network architecture, wherein the processing logic is configured to execute instructions to transmit a communication during a transmit window to the hub, to determine a timing separation of respective transmit and receive windows of the sensor node, and to receive a communication with a scheduled timing of operating the sensor node during a transmit window of the transmitter functionality and during a receive window of the receiver functionality in response to the timing of the communication that is transmitted to the hub from the sensor node during the transmit window and in response to the determined timing separation of respective transmit and receive windows of the sensor node to reduce power consumption of the sensor node, wherein the transmit window and the receive window for the sensor node do not overlap each other.

28. The sensor node of claim 27, wherein the sensor node to operate with a battery source and energy from energy harvesting is stored in a capacitor coupled to the sensor node or integrated with the sensor node, wherein the energy from energy harvesting to be used to supplement energy drawn from the battery source during operation.

29. The sensor node of claim 27, wherein the sensor node operates at a first power consumption level for the transmit and receive windows, wherein the sensor node operates at a second power consumption level when outside of the transmit and receive windows, wherein the first power consumption level has more power consumption than the second power consumption level.