Method for maintaining wireless network response time while saving wireless adapter power

• US 20050245215A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kostic, Igor A., Abhishek, Abhishek, Siddiqui, Adeel, Krantz, Anton
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/127.500
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

To reduce the power consumption of a wireless communication hardware device, power conservation scheduling algorithms can be implemented. Reoccurring events, including DTIM intervals and listen intervals can be scheduled as awake times. Similarly expected response intervals can be scheduled as awake times based on information, such as round trip time, that can be passed together with data to be transmitted. The wireless communication hardware device can be placed into a doze state unless it is transmitting data, or unless it is expecting a transmission during one of the scheduled awake times.

Claims

1. A method for conserving power consumed by wireless communication hardware, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving scheduling related information with a packet for transmission, wherein the scheduling related information can be used to determine an expected response time for receiving an expected response related to the packet for transmission;

transmitting the packet for transmission using the wireless communication hardware;

scheduling an awake state of the wireless communication hardware based on the expected response time if the transmitting was successful; and

placing the wireless communication hardware into a doze state unless the wireless communication hardware is transmitting data, or is otherwise scheduled to be in the awake state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduling the awake state comprises:

entering scheduling information into a timer array.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the scheduling further comprises:

determining a timer value, wherein the timer value is based on the expected response time and a safety margin;

determining a timer index if the timer value does not exceed the timer array, wherein the timer index is based on a current timer index and the timer value divided by a granularity of the timer array;

adjusting the timer index if the timer index is greater than a largest index of the timer array;

and entering the scheduling information into the timer array at the timer index.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the scheduling information comprises:

a wireless communication hardware state, indicating whether the wireless communication hardware is to be in the doze state or in the awake state; and

a wake up type, indicating a type of transmission expected to be received during the awake state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a timer array;

processing an entry of the timer array; and

placing the wireless communication hardware into the awake state if the processed entry of the timer array indicated that the wireless communication hardware was to be in the awake state.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

scheduling the awake state of the wireless communication hardware based on a reoccurring event if the processed entry of the timer array indicated that the wireless communication hardware was to be in the awake state because of the reoccurring event.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

placing the wireless communication hardware into a doze state if a transmission expected to be received during the awake state was received.

8. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for conserving power consumed by wireless communication hardware, the computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for:

receiving scheduling related information with a packet for transmission, wherein the scheduling related information can be used to determine an expected response time for receiving an expected response related to the packet for transmission;

transmitting the packet for transmission using the wireless communication hardware;

scheduling an awake state of the wireless communication hardware based on the expected response time if the transmitting was successful; and

placing the wireless communication hardware into a doze state unless the wireless communication hardware is transmitting data, or is otherwise scheduled to be in the awake state.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the scheduling the awake state comprises:

entering scheduling information into a timer array.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer executable instructions for scheduling further comprise computer executable instructions for:

determining a timer value, wherein the timer value is based on the expected response time and a safety margin;

determining a timer index if the timer value does not exceed the timer array, wherein the timer index is based on a current timer index and the timer value divided by a granularity of the timer array;

adjusting the timer index if the timer index is greater than a largest index of the timer array;

and entering the scheduling information into the timer array at the timer index.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the scheduling information comprises:

a wireless communication hardware state, indicating whether the wireless communication hardware is to be in the doze state or in the awake state; and

a wake up type, indicating a type of transmission expected to be received during the awake state.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising computer executable instructions for:

maintaining a timer array;

processing an entry of the timer array; and

placing the wireless communication hardware into the awake state if the processed entry of the timer array indicated that the wireless communication hardware was to be in the awake state.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions for:

scheduling the awake state of the wireless communication hardware based on a reoccurring event if the processed entry of the timer array indicated that the wireless communication hardware was to be in the awake state because of the reoccurring event.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions for:

placing the wireless communication hardware into a doze state if a transmission expected to be received during the awake state was received.

15. A timer mechanism for implementing a power conservation schedule for wireless communication hardware, the timer mechanism comprising a series of sequentially processed entries, wherein each entry comprises a state field for indicating an expected state of the wireless communication hardware and a wake up type field for indicating a type of transmission expected to be received during an awake state of the wireless communication hardware, and wherein further the series of entries are used to schedule the awake state of the wireless communication hardware based on an expected response time or a reoccurring event time.

16. The timer mechanism of claim 15, wherein the expected response time is based on scheduling related information associated with a packet for transmission.

17. The timer mechanism of claim 15, wherein processing an entry of the sequentially processed entries comprises:

placing the wireless communication hardware into the awake state if the state field of the processed entry indicated that the expected state of the wireless communication hardware was the awake state.

18. The timer mechanism of claim 15, wherein processing an entry of the sequentially processed entries comprises:

setting the state field of a later entry of the sequentially processed entries to indicate that the expected state of the wireless communication hardware is the awake state and setting the wake up type field of the later entry to indicate that transmission is associated with a reoccurring event, the setting the state field and the setting the wake up type field being performed if the wake up type field of the processed entry indicated that the transmission is associated with the reoccurring event, and wherein the later entry is selected based on an interval of the reoccurring event.

19. The timer mechanism of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication hardware is in a doze state unless the wireless communication hardware is transmitting data or is indicated to be in the awake state by the state field of a currently processed entry of the series of sequentially processed entries.

20. The timer mechanism of claim 15, wherein the timer mechanism is a timer array.