METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POWER SAVING IN PERSONAL AREA NETWORKS

• US 20140185505A1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 6, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Cragie, Robert, Nicols, Scott Christopher, Ward, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 9,655,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of reducing power consumption in a wireless network device, comprising determining a duration prior to a beacon being received by the device; comparing the duration against a predetermined value; and adjusting a duration of a sleep period in response to the comparison.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A method of reducing power consumption in a wireless network device, comprising:

determining a sleep duration such that the device selectively receives a beacon broadcast by a network coordinator.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the sleep duration is longer than an interval between beacon broadcasts.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the sleep duration is determined such that the devices does not receive every beacon broadcast by the network coordinator.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the sleep duration is determined such that the device has a beacon receive ratio of n:

1, wherein n>

1.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

waking from a sleep state to an operational state in response to an indication of an external event;

determining a sleep duration such that the device is operable to receive a next broadcast beacon;

sleeping for the determined sleep duration; and

waking from the sleep state to receive the next broadcast beacon.

19. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a beacon broadcast in a wireless network; and

a processor arranged to determine a sleep duration of the device such that the receiver selectively receives a beacon broadcast in the wireless network.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to determine the sleep duration such that the device sleeps whilst at least one beacon is broadcast in the wireless network.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

an activator operable by a user to wake the device from a sleep state;

wherein in response to the device being woken from the sleep state, the processor is arranged to determine a sleep duration such that the receiver is operable to receive a beacon next broadcast in the wireless network and to enter the sleep state for the determined duration.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sleep duration is determined such that the receiver is operable to receive selected beacons from amongst those broadcast in the wireless network.