System and Method of Power Management for a Device with Multiple Network Interfaces

• US 20100226298A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Han, James, Xiang, Justin Zengjun, Chan, Hinghung Anthony, Sarikaya, Behcet
• Granted Patent: US 8,848,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An embodiment method for managing power of user device having a plurality of interfaces includes mapping centralized reachability states to physical power states of the interface and controlling the physical power states based on the mapping. Controlling includes transmitting a signal to the user device.

Claims

1. A method for managing power of user device having a plurality of interfaces, the method comprising:

mapping centralized reachability states to physical power states of the interface; and

controlling the physical power states based on the mapping, controlling comprising transmitting a signal to the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the centralized reachability states comprise:

a reachable directly state;

a reachable via another interface state; and

a not reachable state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

the reachable directly state is mapped into a physical power state of the interface that enables the user device to receive a transmission on the interface;

and

the reachable via another interface state is mapped into the physical power state of the interface comprising a power-down state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the user device further comprises at least one additional interface; and

controlling the physical power state comprises

assigning the physical power state to the interface that enables the user device to receive a transmission on the first interface, and

assigning the power-down state to the at least one additional interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping is performed on a base station processor.

6. A method of operating a user device comprising a first wireless interface configured to communicate with a first wireless network and second wireless interface configured to communicate with a second wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission from the first wireless network on the first wireless interface while the first wireless interface is in a reachable state and the second wireless interface is in a non-reachable state, the transmission comprising a message that the second wireless network needs to access the second wireless interface;

placing the second wireless interface into a reachable state after receiving the transmission.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the second wireless interface communicating with the second wireless network after placing the second wireless interface into the reachable state.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the reachable state comprises a power-on state and the non-reachable state comprises a power-down state.

9. A method of operating a wireless base station configured to transmit to user devices on a first network, the method comprising:

determining a reachability state of a first wireless user device;

if the first wireless user device is in a reachable directly state, based on the determining, sending a message to the first wireless user device via the first network; and

if the first wireless user device is in a reachable via another interface state, forwarding a message to a second wireless network in which the first wireless user device is in a reachable directly state.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising terminating a transmission if the first wireless user device is in a not reachable state.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the state of the first wireless user device comprises looking up reachability states in a centralized map.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the reachability states comprise:

the reachable directly state;

the reachable via another interface state; and

a not reachable state.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the reachability states are further mapped to physical power states of the user devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the first network comprises a 802.11 network;

the first user device is in the reachable directly state when a first interface of the first user device is in an in-service mode, a power save mode, or in an extended power save mode;

the first user device is in the reachable via another interface state when the first interface of the first user device is shut off or out of range of the first network, and the first user device is reachable via a second interface configured to communicate with the second network; and

the first user device is in a not-reachable state when the first interface of the first user device is shut off or out of range of the first network, and the first user device is not reachable via the second interface configured to communicate with the second network.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising if the first wireless user device is in the reachable via another interface state and the first wireless user device is not in a reachable state with respect to the second wireless network, forwarding a message to a third wireless network in which the first wireless user device is in the reachable directly state.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising the wireless base station assigning power mode states to the first user device based on reachability states in a centralized map.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the power mode states comprise:

an active, idle or power-save mode for a first interface of the first user device, wherein the first interface is configured to operate with the first network; and

a power-down mode for a second interface of the first user device, wherein the second interface is configured to operate with the second network.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the reachability state of the first wireless user device is performed by a paging system of the first network.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the reachability state of the first user device is independent a technology of the first wireless network, a technology of the second wireless network, and a vendor of the first wireless user device.

25. The wireless communications system of claim 19, wherein the first base station transmits a corresponding power state to the user device.

20. A wireless communications system comprising:

a first base station on a first network, wherein

the first base station is configured to communicate with a second base station on a second network, and

the first base station is configured to communicate with a user device having a first interface and a second interface, the first interface configured to communicate with the first network and the second interface configured to communicate with the second network; and

a map of centralized reachability states and corresponding power states for the user device, the reachability states comprising;

a reachable directly state,

a reachable via another interface state, and

a not reachable state.

21. The wireless communications system of claim 20, wherein a corresponding power state for the reachable directly state with respect to the first network comprises an active mode for the first interface and a power down-mode for the second interface.

22. The wireless communications system of claim 21, wherein the first base station forwards messages from the second base station to the first interface when the user device is in the corresponding power state for the reachable directly state with respect to the first network.

23. The wireless communications system of claim 20, wherein a corresponding power state for the reachable via another interface state with respect to the first network comprises a power-down mode for the first interface and an active mode for the second interface.

24. The wireless communications system of claim 23, wherein the first base station forwards messages to the second base station to be transmitted by the second base station to the second interface of the user device when the user device is in the corresponding power state for the reachable via another interface state with respect to the first network.