Method and System for a Low-Power Client in a Wide Area Network

• US 20130094551A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Inventors: Ling, Curtis, Gallagher, Timothy, Ramesh, Sridhar
• Granted Patent: US 8,711,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0033 Correction by delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A network device may be operable to receive an indication from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) that media access control (MAC) management messages will be transmitted by the CMTS at fixed intervals. Subsequent to receiving the indication, the network device may be operable to power down one or more components of the network device and set a sleep timer to a value equal to an integer multiple of the fixed interval minus a transition period. The network device may power up the one or more components of the network device upon expiration of the sleep timer. The network device may power up the one or more components of the network device upon an amount of traffic in a buffer of the network device reaching a threshold.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a network device;

receiving an indication from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) that a media access control (MAC) management message will be transmitted by said CMTS after a predetermined time interval;

subsequent to receiving said indication, powering down one or more components of said network device and setting a sleep timer to a value equal to the duration of said predetermined time interval minus a transition period; and

powering up said one or more components of said network device upon expiration of said sleep timer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said network device is a cable modem, cable set-top-box, or cable gateway;

said MAC management message is a media access plan (MAP) message;

said indication is a message that indicates that said MAP message will be sent upon expiration of said predetermined time interval; and

said network device does not listen to communications from said CMTS during said predetermined time interval;

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said duration of said predetermined time interval is based on past traffic statistics and/or patterns.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said duration of said predetermined time interval is based on drift of one or more clocks of said network device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more components comprise an amplifier, a mixer, a filter, a data converter, a modulator, and/or a demodulator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more components comprise a media access controller.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising, prior to expiration of said sleep timer, powering up one or more of said one or more components, resynchronizing to a signal from said cable modem termination system, and again powering down said one or more of said components.

3. The method of claim 3, wherein said powering up occurs if said network device desires to receive said MAP message, otherwise said components of said network device remain powered down upon expiration of said sleep timer.

9. A method comprising:

in a network device;

receiving au message from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) that indicates contention opportunities will occur at predetermined intervals;

subsequent to receiving said message, transitioning to a power-saving mode in which one or more components of said network device are powered down; and

transitioning out of said power-saving mode during one of said predetermined intervals in response to an amount of traffic in a buffer of said network device reaching a set threshold during said one of said predetermined intervals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said network device is a cable modem, cable set-top-box, or cable gateway.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said message is in response to a request sent by said network device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said one or more components comprise an amplifier, a mixer, a filter, a data converter, a modulator, and/or a demodulator.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said one or more components comprise a media access controller.

14. The method of claim 9, comprising, periodically while operating in said power-saving mode, powering up one or more of said one or more components, resynchronizing to a signal from said cable modem termination system, and again powering down said one or more of said components.

15. A system comprising:

circuitry for use in a network device comprising a buffer, said circuitry being operable to;

receive message from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) that contention opportunities will occur at predetermined intervals;

subsequent to said receipt of said message, transitioning to a power-saving mode in which one or more portions of said circuitry are powered down; and

transition out of said power-saving mode during one of said intervals in which an amount of traffic in said buffer reaches a threshold.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said network device comprises a cable modem, cable set-top-box, or cable gateway.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said message is in response to a request sent by said network device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said one or more portions of said circuitry comprise an amplifier, a mixer, a filter, a data converter, a modulator, and/or a demodulator.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said one or more portions of said circuitry comprise a media access controller.

20. The system of claim 15, comprising, periodically while operating in said power-saving mode, powering up said one or more portions of said circuitry, resynchronizing to a signal from said cable modem termination system, and again powering down said one or more portions of said circuitry.