APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A SLEEP MODE IN A WIRELESS DEVICE
First Claim
1. An apparatus for controlling a sleep mode in a wireless device, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one bandpass filtering unit comprising at least one of passive and low power elements and configured to allow at least one beacon signal of one or more frequencies to pass;
at least one accumulator unit configured to store energy from signals passed by the bandpass filtering unit, the accumulator unit comprising at least one of passive and low power elements;
a comparator operable in a low power portion of the wireless device and configured to compare the level of stored energy in the accumulator to a predetermined threshold; and
a sleep controller operable in the low power portion of the wireless device and configured to issue a wakeup trigger signal to other circuitry in the wireless device when the level of stored energy in the accumulator exceeds the predetermined threshold.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for controlling sleep mode in a wireless device are disclosed. The sleep mode is controlled using low power detection of RF beacon signals of known frequencies to reduce power consumption of the wireless device during sleep modes. Detection is achieved by using passive or low power elements in a receive chain that filters received signals allowing beacon signals of particular frequencies to pass, which are accumulated with passive or low power circuit elements requiring no external power source. The accumulated energy is compared to a threshold to determine the presence of the beacon with sleep circuitry. When the beacon is detected, the full RF receiver is triggered to wake up. Use of low power elements and passive elements, affords a beneficial increase in power savings for the wireless device, which is particularly helpful in wireless access points or relay stations that have an alternative power sourcing such as battery or solar power.
62 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An apparatus for controlling a sleep mode in a wireless device, the apparatus comprising:
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at least one bandpass filtering unit comprising at least one of passive and low power elements and configured to allow at least one beacon signal of one or more frequencies to pass; at least one accumulator unit configured to store energy from signals passed by the bandpass filtering unit, the accumulator unit comprising at least one of passive and low power elements; a comparator operable in a low power portion of the wireless device and configured to compare the level of stored energy in the accumulator to a predetermined threshold; and a sleep controller operable in the low power portion of the wireless device and configured to issue a wakeup trigger signal to other circuitry in the wireless device when the level of stored energy in the accumulator exceeds the predetermined threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8)
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7. The apparatus as defined in clam 1, wherein the at least one passive and low power elements is configured to operate during a sleep mode of the wireless device at a power level lower than a normal power level of the wireless device circuitry operating in a normal mode.
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9. A method for controlling a sleep mode in a wireless device, the method comprising:
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bandpass filtering wireless signals to derive at least one RF narrowband beacon signal using at least one of passive and low power filter elements; accumulating energy of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal using at least one of passive and low power elements; comparing the accumulated energy with a predetermined threshold; determining the presence of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal when the accumulated energy is greater than the predetermined threshold; and signaling wakeup of wireless device circuitry based on determination of the presence of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17)
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16. The method as defined in clam 9, further comprising:
signaling wakeup of wireless device circuitry based on determination of the presence of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal with low power sleep circuitry during a sleep mode of the wireless device.
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18. An apparatus for controlling a sleep mode in a wireless device, the apparatus comprising:
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means for bandpass filtering wireless signals to derive at least one RF narrowband beacon signal using at least one of passive and low power filter elements; means for accumulating energy of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal using at least one of passive and low power elements; means for comparing the accumulated energy with a predetermined threshold; means for determining the presence of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal when the accumulated energy is greater than the predetermined threshold; and means for signaling wakeup of wireless device circuitry based on determination of the presence of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26)
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25. The apparatus as defined in clam 18, further comprising:
means for signaling wakeup of wireless device circuitry based on determination of the presence of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal with low power sleep circuitry during a sleep mode of the wireless device.
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27. A computer program product, comprising:
computer-readable medium comprising; code for causing a computer to compare an accumulated energy with a predetermined threshold, wherein the accumulated energy is derived from an apparatus configured to bandpass filter wireless signals to derive at least one RF narrowband beacon signal using at least one of passive and low power filter elements and accumulate energy of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal using at least one of passive and low power elements; code for causing a computer to determine the presence of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal when the accumulated energy is greater than the predetermined threshold; and code for causing a computer to signal wakeup of wireless device circuitry based on determination of the presence of the at least one RF narrowband beacon signal.
Specification