NETWORK SERVER HAVING AN INFORMATION AND SCHEDULING CONTROLLER TO SUPPORT ONE OR MORE LOW DUTY CYCLE WIRELESS DEVICES

• US 20100015916A1
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Burroughs, Kirk Allan, Aryan, Babak, Holcman, Alejandro R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,185,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A network server, such as, for example, a mobile positioning center, having an information or schedule controller or having access to an information or schedule controller is provided. The information or schedule controller is provided with a schedule for a low duty cycle wireless device to provide the network server with the ability to store messages for transmission to the low duty cycle wireless device when the low duty cycle wireless device is in a low power mode of operation and transmit the messages during scheduled awake times.

Claims

1. A network server comprising:

at least one network interface coupled to a base station;

a processor coupled to the at least one network interface and adapted to receive and transmit signals to at least one low duty cycle wireless device through the base station; and

an information or schedule controller adapted to provide information to the processor about when the low duty cycle wireless device is awake, wherein

the network server is adapted to transmit information over a wireless network via the base station to the low duty cycle wireless device when the low duty cycle wireless device awakes from a hibernation mode.

2. The network server of claim 1 wherein the network server is a mobile positioning center

3. The network server of claim 1 wherein the information or schedule controller is integrated with the processor.

4. The network server of claim 1 wherein the information or schedule controller is remote from the network server.

5. The network server of claim 2 wherein said signals transmitted from and to the at least one low duty cycle wireless device comprise location information.

6. The network server of claim 5 wherein the location information comprises pseudorange measurements.

7. The network server of claim 5 wherein the location information comprises information associated with a satellite positioning system.

8. The network server of claim 2 wherein the mobile positioning center is coupled to position determining equipment.

9. The network server of claim 1 wherein the network server transmits and receives information from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device according to a code division multiple access protocol.

10. The network server of claim 1 wherein the network server transmits and receives information from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device according to a global system for mobile communication protocol.

11. The network server of claim 1 further adapted to receive unscheduled signals from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device indicating the at least one low duty cycle wireless device is awake at an unscheduled time.

12. The network server of claim 1 comprising a memory adapted to store information regarding a hibernation and awake schedule for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

13. The network server of claim 1 wherein the information or schedule controller determines a begin time and an end time for an awake mode for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

14. The network server of claim 13 wherein the information or schedule controller determines an offset for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device such that the awake mode for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device starts at the offset from the begin time.

15. The network server of claim 13 wherein the network server extends the awake time beyond the end time to transmit pending messages.

16. The network server of claim 1 wherein the information or schedule controller is adapted to receive a begin time and an end time for an awake mode from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

17. The network server of claim 16 wherein the information or schedule controller is adapted to receive an offset from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device such that the awake mode for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device starts at the offset from the begin time.

18. The network server of claim 13 wherein the begin time and the end time for the awake mode is based on information from the wireless device.

19. The network server of claim 18 wherein the information from the wireless device concerns battery charge.

20. The network server of claim 16 wherein the begin time and the end time for the awake mode is based on information from the wireless device.

21. The network server of claim 20 wherein the information from the wireless device concerns battery charge.

22. A method of transmitting and receiving messages at a network server from and to a low duty cycle wireless device, the method comprising:

scheduling an awake time for at least one low duty cycle wireless device;

storing messages for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device for transmission during the awake time;

waking the at least one low duty cycle wireless device during the scheduled awake time; and

transmitting the stored messages for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

23. The method of transmitting and receiving messages of claim 22 wherein the network server is a mobile positioning center.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the scheduling an awake time for at least one low duty cycle wireless device comprises operating an information or schedule controller to synchronize the awake time of the at least one low duty cycle wireless device and a mobile positioning center.

25. The method of claim 22 comprising receiving messages from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

26. The method of claim 22 comprising scheduling a hibernation time for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

27. The method of claim 26 comprising extending the awake time of the at least one low duty cycle wireless device beyond the scheduled hibernation time.

28. The method of claim 22 comprising receiving an unscheduled transmission from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

29. The method of claim 22 comprising storing the information or schedule of the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the information or schedule of the at least one low duty cycle wireless device comprises at least one of awake begin time, offset, or awake end time.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the information or schedule of the at least one low duty cycle wireless device is based on information from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the information from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device concerns battery charge.

33. The method of claim 22 further comprising determining an offset from the awake time at which the at least one low duty cycle wireless device will receive transmissions.

34. A computer program product containing computer executable code stored on a computer readable storage medium that cause a computer to:

schedule an awake time for at least one low duty cycle wireless device;

store messages for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device for transmission during the awake time; and

transmit the stored messages for the at least one low duty cycle wireless device during the scheduled awake time such that the at least one low duty cycle wireless device may have an extended hibernation mode.

35. The computer program product of claim 34 further comprising executable code to synchronize the awake time of a mobile positioning center and the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

36. The computer program product of claim 34 further comprising executable code to receive messages from the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

37. The computer program product of claim 34 further comprising executable code to extend the awake period of the at least one low duty cycle wireless device.

38. The computer program product of claim 36 wherein the code to receive messages is further configured to receive messages during unscheduled awake times.

39. The computer program product of claim 34 further comprising executable code to determine at least one of an awake begin time, an awake end time, and an offset.

40. A network server comprising:

means for connecting a mobile positioning center to a base station;

means for transmitting signal to and receiving signals from a low duty cycle wireless device through the base station;

means for scheduling the transmission to the low duty cycle wireless device to synchronize the transmission of signals with a time when the low duty cycle wireless device is awake, wherein

the mobile positioning center is adapted to transmit information over a wireless network via the base station to the low duty cycle wireless device when the low duty cycle wireless device awakes from a hibernation mode.