Deep sleep mode for mesh points

• US 20090067373A1
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kasslin, Mika, Kneckt, Jarkko Lauri Sakari
• Granted Patent: US 8,189,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an apparatus, method and computer program embodied in a computer-readable memory medium. The method includes transmitting a beacon or a directed transmission from a first device to inform at least one second device in a wireless communication network that the first device will be active only during an active time interval that comprises a beacon transmission period and an additional period near to the beacon transmission period and, at the completion of the active time interval, operating in a lower power mode of operation until a next active time interval. The wireless communication network may be embodied as a mesh network that includes a plurality of mesh points, and the first device and the at least one second device may each be a mesh point.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting a transmission from a first device to inform at least one second device in a wireless communication network that the first device will be active only during an active time interval that comprises a beacon transmission period and an additional period near to the beacon transmission period; and

at the completion of the active time interval, operating in a lower power mode of operation until a next active time interval.

2. The method of claim 1, where when operating in the lower power mode of operation the first device does not receive a beacon transmission from the at least one second device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising exiting the lower power mode of operation prior to a start of the next active time interval to receive a beacon transmission from the at least one second device.

4. The method of claim 3, where the first device receives the beacon transmission from the at least one second device for at least synchronization and link maintenance purposes.

5. The method of claim 1, where the first device has a link with the at least one second device, and further comprising receiving data, only during the additional period, from the at least one second device.

6. The method of claim 1, where the additional period corresponds to an announcement traffic indication message period.

7. The method of claim 1, where the first device transmits an indication that the first device will be active only during the active time interval, or an indication that the first device will be active for a longer period than the active time interval.

8. The method of claim 1, where the first device transmits an indication of whether (a) the first device will not be active to receive a transmission from the second device after expiration of a period of time corresponding to an announcement traffic indication message, or (b) the first device will be active to receive a transmission from the second device after expiration of the period of time corresponding to the announcement traffic indication message.

9. The method of claim 1, where said wireless communication network is comprised of a mesh network comprising a plurality of mesh points, and where said first device and said at least one second device are each a mesh point.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless transmitter and receiver; and

a controller configurable to transmit a transmission from a first device to inform at least one second device in a wireless communication network that the first device will be active only during an active time interval that comprises a beacon transmission period and an additional period near to the beacon transmission period, said controller further configurable, at an expiration of the active time interval, to cause said first device to enter a lower power mode of operation until a next active time interval.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, where in the lower power mode of operation the first device does not receive a beacon transmission from the at least one second device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, said controller further configurable to exit the lower power mode of operation prior to a start of the next active time interval to receive a beacon transmission from the at least one second device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, where the first device receives the beacon transmission from the at least one second device for at least synchronization and link maintenance purposes.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, where the first device has a link with the at least one second device, and said controller is further configurable to receive data, only during the additional period, from the at least one second device.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, where the additional period corresponds to an announcement traffic indication message period.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, where said controller is further configurable to transmit an indication that the first device will be active only during the active time interval, or an indication that the first device will be active for a longer period than the active time interval.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, where said controller is further configurable to transmit an indication of whether (a) the first device will not be active to receive a transmission from the second device after expiration of a period of time corresponding to an announcement traffic indication message, or (b) the first device will be active to receive a transmission from the second device after expiration of the period of time corresponding to the announcement traffic indication message.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, where said wireless communication network is comprised of a mesh network comprising a plurality of mesh points, and where said first device and said at least one second device are each a mesh point.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, embodied as at least one integrated circuit.

20. A computer-readable memory medium that stores program instructions, the execution of which result in operations that comprise:

p1 transmitting from a first device to inform at least one second device in a wireless communication network that the first device will be active only during an active time interval that comprises a beacon transmission period and an additional period near to the beacon transmission period; and

at the completion of the active time interval, operating in a lower power mode of operation until a next active time interval.

21. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, where when operating in the lower power mode of operation the first device does not receive a beacon transmission from the at least one second device.

22. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, further comprising exiting the lower power mode of operation prior to a start of the next active time interval to receive a beacon transmission from the at least one second device.

23. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 22, where the first device receives the beacon transmission from the at least one second device for at least synchronization and link maintenance purposes.

24. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, where the first device has a link with the at least one second device, and further comprising receiving data, only during the additional period, from the at least one second device.

25. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, where the additional period corresponds to an announcement traffic indication message period.

26. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, where the first device transmits an indication that the first device will be active only during the active time interval, or an indication that the first device will be active for a longer period than the active time interval.

27. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, where the first device transmits an indication of whether (a) the first device will not be active to receive a transmission from the second device after expiration of a period of time corresponding to an announcement traffic indication message, or (b) the first device will be active to receive a transmission from the second device after expiration of the period of time corresponding to the announcement traffic indication message.

28. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, where said wireless communication network is comprised of a mesh network comprising a plurality of mesh points, and where said first device and said at least one second device are each a mesh point.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

means for transmitting from a first device for informing at least one second device in a wireless communication network that the first device will be active only during an active time interval that comprises a beacon transmission period and an additional period near to the beacon transmission period; and

means, responsive to a completion of the active time interval, for controlling said first device to operate in a lower power mode of operation until a next active time interval, where when operating in the lower power mode of operation the first device does not receive a beacon transmission from the at least one second device.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, said controlling means further operable to exit the lower power mode of operation prior to a start of the next active time interval to receive a beacon transmission from the at least one second device.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, where the additional period corresponds to an announcement traffic indication message period.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, where said transmitting means transmits an indication of whether (a) the first device will not be active to receive a transmission from the second device after expiration of a period of time corresponding to an announcement traffic indication message, or (b) the first device will be active to receive a transmission from the second device after expiration of the period of time corresponding to the announcement traffic indication message.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, where said wireless communication network is comprised of a mesh network comprising a plurality of mesh points, and where said first device and said at least one second device are each a mesh point.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, embodied as at least one integrated circuit.

35. The apparatus of claim 29, where said transmitting means transmits a groupcast frame transmission or a directed frame transmission.