Power Management for Wireless Networks

• US 20120230237A1
• Filed: 05/25/2012
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jesse Walker, Xiaohong Gong
• Original Assignee: Jesse Walker, Xiaohong Gong
• Inventors: Gong, Xiaohong, Walker, Jesse
• Granted Patent: US 9,167,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• 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

Embodiments provide techniques for device power management in wireless networks. For instance, an apparatus may include a power management module, and a transceiver module. The power management module determines a beacon interval and a wakeup interval. The transceiver module to send a transmission to one or more remote devices that includes the beacon interval and the wakeup interval. The beacon interval indicates a time interval between consecutive beacon transmissions of the apparatus, and the wakeup interval indicates a time interval between when the apparatus receives two consecutive beacons from a peer device.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a power management module to determine a beacon interval and a wakeup interval; and

a transceiver module to send a transmission to one or more remote devices, the transmission including the beacon interval and the wakeup interval;

wherein the beacon interval indicates a time interval between consecutive beacon transmissions of the apparatus; and

wherein the wakeup interval indicates a time interval between when the apparatus receives two consecutive beacons from a peer device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver module is to send the transmission when the apparatus is in an awake state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transmission is a beacon transmission.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power management module directs the apparatus to transition between two or more operational states, the two or more operational states comprising an awake state and a doze state.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, upon the apparatus entering an awake state from a doze state, the transceiver module is to transmit a beacon comprising an awake window time period.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the transceiver module is to commence in a remotely-initiated peer establishment procedure during the awake window time period.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the power management module is to direct the apparatus to enter a doze state from the awake state when the awake window time period has elapsed and the peer establishment procedure is completed.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the remotely-initiated peer establishment procedure comprises the transceiver:

receiving a first peer link open (PLO) message from a remote device;

sending, in response to the first PLO message, a first peer link confirm (PLC) message to the remote device;

sending a second PLO message to the remote device; and

receiving, in response to the second PLO message, a second PLC message from the remote device.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the transceiver module is to transmit buffered traffic during the awake window time period.

10. A method, comprising:

entering an awake state from a doze state;

advertising an awake window time period;

commencing a remotely initiated peer establishment procedure during the awake window time period; and

returning to the doze state when the awake window time period has elapsed and the remotely-initiated peer establishment procedure is completed.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein engaging in the remotely-initiated peer establishment procedure comprises performing a double handshaking procedure with the remote device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the double handshaking procedure comprises:

receiving a first peer link open (PLO) message from a remote device;

sending, in response to the first PLO message, a first peer link confirm (PLC) message to the remote device;

sending a second PLO message to the remote device; and

receiving, in response to the second PLO message, a second PLC message from the remote device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein advertising the awake window time period comprises transmitting a beacon comprising an awake window information element.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the awake window information element comprises a field to indicate a duration of the awake window time period from a target beacon transmission time (TBTT).

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending buffered traffic during the awake window time period.

16. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

enter an awake state from a doze state;

advertise an awake window time period;

commence a remotely initiated peer establishment procedure during the awake window time period; and

return to the doze state when the awake window time period has elapsed and the remotely-initiated peer establishment procedure is completed.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to advertise the awake window time period in a beacon comprising an awake window information element.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the awake window information element comprises a field to indicate a duration of the awake window time period from a target beacon transmission time (TWIT).

19. The article of claim 16, wherein the remotely-initiated peer establishment procedure involves a double handshaking procedure with the remote device.

20. The article of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by a machine, further cause the machine to send buffered traffic during the awake window time period.