LOW POWER SENSOR NETWORK

• US 20150098375A1
• Filed: 10/08/2013
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ree, Bradley Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,801,137 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Device power consumption is reduced by operating using both one-way and two-way communication techniques. In an aspect a device operates in a first mode enabling one-way communication to an other device for a first portion of device operation time. The first mode includes transmitting a first set of messages to the other device while turning off a power supply used by a receiver of the device. The device switches between operating in the first mode and the second mode. The second mode enables two-way communication between the device and the other device for a second portion of device operation time less than the first portion of device operation. The second mode includes transmitting a second message to the other device, and in response to the transmitting the second message, turning on the power supply used by the receiver.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

operating in a first mode that enables one-way communication to another device, the first mode being during for a first portion of device operation time and using a first amount of power from a power source configured to provide power to the device, the operating in the first mode comprising;

transmitting a first message to the other device, and

preventing the receiver from receiving power from the power source; and

switching to operating in a second mode that enables two-way communication between the device and the other device, the second mode being during a second portion of device operation time and using a second amount of power from the power source, the operating in the second mode comprising;

transmitting a second message to the other device, and

in response to the transmitting the second message, providing the receiver power from the power source, wherein the first portion of device operation time is greater than the second portion of device operation time and the first amount of power is less than the second amount of power.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first portion of device operation time is a first percentage of device operation time, the second portion of device operation time is a second percentage of device operation time, the first percentage of device operation time is about 90%, and the second percentage of device operation time is about 10%.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first portion of device operation time is a first percentage of device operation time, the second portion of device operation time is a second percentage of device operation time, the first percentage of device operation time is about 95%, and the second percentage of device operation time is about 5%.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the first message comprises activating the transmitter to transmit the first message a plurality of times and deactivating the transmitter between times that the first message is transmitted.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises mode information indicating the device is operating in the first mode and does not utilize an acknowledgment of receipt of the first message.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the second message comprises mode information indicating the device is operating in the second mode, and wherein the operating in the second mode further comprises:

resending the second message in response to determining a response message has not been received from the other device after a waiting period.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the second message comprises mode information indicating the device is operating in the second mode, and wherein the operating in the second mode further comprises:

receiving information from the other device in response to the transmitting the second message.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the receiving the information from the other device comprises receiving an acknowledgment of receipt of the second message by the other device that indicates a pending message for the device, and

wherein the operating in the second mode further comprises, in response to receiving the pending message from the other device, preventing the receiver from receiving power from the power source.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the receiving the information from the other device comprises receiving an acknowledgment of receipt of the second message by the other device that indicates the other device does not have a pending message for the device, and

wherein the operating in the second mode further comprises, in response to receiving the acknowledgment of receipt of the second message, preventing the receiver from receiving power from the power source.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the receiving the information from the other device comprises receiving a request to deactivate the receiver after an amount of time, and

wherein the operating in the second mode further comprises preventing the receiver from receiving power from the power source after the amount of time has been determined to have elapsed.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the receiving the information comprises receiving configuration information for the device that describes a first type of information to include in the first set of messages and a second type of information to include in the second message, and the operations further comprise:

applying the configuration information to the device.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the receiving the information comprises receiving configuration information for the device that defines when the device is to operate in the first communication mode and when the device is to operate in the second communication mode, and the operations further comprise:

applying the configuration information to the device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the operating in the second mode further comprises:

receiving a request for information by the other device; and

in response to transmitting the information to the other device in response to the request, preventing the receiver from receiving power from the power source.

14. A method, comprising:

operating, by a device comprising a processor, in a first communication mode using a first amount of power from a power source configured to provide power to the device, comprising;

activating a receiver of the device based on a duty cycle;

receiving a signal from another device in response to the activating the receiver;

deactivating the receiver in response to determining the signal does not comprise information identifying the device;

maintaining activation of the receiver in response to determining the signal comprises the information identifying the device;

receiving another signal comprising information associated with the device from the other device in response to the maintaining the activation of the receiver; and

deactivating the receiver in response to the receiving the other signal from the other device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting a first message to the other device in response to the determining the signal comprises the information identifying the device, the first message comprising information indicating the device is aware of the information identifying the device comprised within the signal; and

receiving a second message from the other device in response to the transmitting the first message, the second message comprising information acknowledging receipt of the first message and instructing the device to maintain activation of the receiver for a window of time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the duty cycle comprises activating the receiver for a defined number of milliseconds per minute.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

switching to operating, by the device, in a second communication mode using a second amount of power from the power, comprising;

transmitting a first set of messages to the other device, and

turning off a power supply used by the receiver of the device, wherein the second amount of power is less than the first amount of power.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

switching to operating, by the device, in a third communication mode using a third amount of power from the power source, comprising;

transmitting a second message to the other device, wherein the second message comprises mode information indicating the device is operating in the third communication mode;

in response to the transmitting the second message, turning on the power supply used by the receiver; and

receiving an acknowledgment of receipt of the third message by the other device, wherein the second amount of power is less than the first amount of power and the third amount of power.

19. A computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

receiving, at a first time, a first set of messages from a device indicating the device is operating using a one-way communication mode;

receiving, at a second time, a second message from the device indicating the device is operating using a two-way communication mode; and

sending a third message to the device only in response to the receiving the second message, wherein the third message comprises information informing the device that the second message was received.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring a traffic pattern associated with the receiving the first set of messages;

determining an increase in communication errors has occurred associated with the receiving the first set of messages based on the traffic pattern; and

in response to the determining, transmitting a fourth message to the device, wherein the fourth message comprises information instructing the device to switch from operating using the one-way communication mode to operating using the two-way communication mode.