SHAPING DATA PACKET TRAFFIC

• US 20140029500A1
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Luo, Sai, Zheng, Shanshan, Zhou, Xin, Chan, Sun, Shang, Li, Lin, Chunxiao
• Granted Patent: US 9,420,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a communication module 120 may be configured to transmit data packet traffic and a management module 110 may be configured to shape the data packet traffic transmitted by the communication module 120. The management module 110 may shape the data packet traffic by buffering data packets routed at different times to the communication module 120 based on at least one power management factor.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication module configured to transmit data packet traffic; and

a management module configured to shape the data packet traffic to be transmitted by the communication module to;

buffer data packets routed at different times to the communication module based on at least one power management factor, and

send buffered data packets to the communication module for transmission of the buffered data packets by the communication module.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is a wireless radio configured to wirelessly transmit the shaped data packet traffic.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is to have available bandwidth to transmit the data packets while the data packets are buffered by the management module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one power management factor includes at least one of:

a number of buffered data packets, a period in which the communication module is idle, a data processing rate, and an electrical power consumption setting.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one power management factor is a data transmission rate of the communication module.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one power management factor is a data packet latency tolerance of at least one of the buffered data packets.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module and management module are associated with a mobile device.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the mobile device comprises a processing module configured to run an application that is to generate the data packets for transmission by the communication module, the processing module to route the data packets to the communication module.

9. A gateway comprising the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gateway is to handle routing of the data packets between a device and a computing module.

10. The gateway of claim 9, wherein the gateway is to receive the data packets from the computing module to and route the data packets to the communication module.

11. The gateway of claim 9, wherein the computing module is a server.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a gateway configured to manage communications between a device and a computing module, the gateway comprising;

a communication module configured to transmit data packets to the device; and

a management module configured to send a signal to the device to indicate a level of data packet traffic from the computing module.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing module is a server.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein when the signal indicates no data packet traffic from the computing module, the device is to enter a low electrical power mode.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the management module is further configured to shape data packet traffic configured to transmit to the device by the communication module to:

buffer the data packets routed at different times to the communication module by the computing module based on at least one power management factor, and

send buffered data packets together to the communication module for transmission of the buffered data packets to the device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one power management factor includes a data packet latency tolerance determined by the device and an electrical power consumption setting of the device.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving and buffering a first data packet routed to a communication module for transmission of the first data packet;

receiving and buffering a second data packet routed to the communication module for transmission of the second data packet, the second data packet received after reception of the first data packet; and

transmitting at least a portion of the first and second data packets using the communication module, wherein a period to buffer the first and second data packets is based on at least one power management factor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one power management factor is a data packet latency tolerance of at least one of the first and second data packets.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one power management factor is a data transmission rate at which the first and second packets are transmitted.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving and buffering a third data packet routed to the communication module for transmission of the third data packet, the third data packet received after reception of the first and second data packets, wherein a period to buffer the third data packet is based on at least one power management factor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first, second, and third data packets are wirelessly transmitted by the communication module.