METHOD, APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR LOW POWER DATA DELIVERY

• US 20170041868A1
• Filed: 08/07/2015
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: PALIN, Arto, REUNAMAKI, Jukka, SAVOLAINEN, Teemu
• Granted Patent: US 9,949,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• 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

An example embodiment enhances power savings in a wireless network, where each wireless device has a hop count value indicating how many hops away is one or more central wireless devices. A device determines that it has information to deliver to the one or more central devices. It selects a device of the one or more other wireless devices, the selected device having a smaller hop count value, than the hop count value of the device. It enters a sleep mode based on a known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages received from the selected device. The device awakes from the sleep mode based on the known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages of the selected device. It then creates a connection with the selected device and transmitting to the selected device the information for delivery to the one or more central devices via the connection.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an apparatus, wireless device discovery messages from one or more other wireless devices in a wireless network, each received wireless discovery message including a received hop count value indicating how many hops away from one or more central wireless devices, a respective one of the one or more other wireless devices is that sent the received wireless discovery message;

memorizing, by the apparatus, a smallest hop count value indicated in the received wireless device discovery messages; and

transmitting, by the apparatus, wireless device discovery messages including a transmitted hop count value of the apparatus, which is one greater than the smallest hop count value, indicating how many hops away the apparatus is from one or more central wireless devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

memorizing, by the apparatus, the smallest hop count value indicated in the received wireless device discovery messages, if an RSSI value of the received wireless device discovery messages is greater than a threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting, by the apparatus, the hop count value of the apparatus in response to a change in how many hops away the apparatus is from the one or more central wireless devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the apparatus, that it has information to deliver to the one or more central wireless devices;

selecting, by the apparatus, a wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, the selected wireless device having a smaller hop count value, than the hop count value of the apparatus;

entering, by the apparatus, a sleep mode based on a known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages received from the selected wireless device;

awaking, by the apparatus, from the sleep mode based on the known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages of the selected wireless device; and

creating, by the apparatus, a connection with the selected wireless device and transmitting to the selected wireless device the information for delivery to the one or more central wireless devices via the connection.

5. A method, comprising:

determining, by an apparatus, that it has information to deliver to one or more central wireless devices in a wireless network that includes one or more other wireless devices;

selecting, by the apparatus, a wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, the selected wireless device having a smaller hop count from the one or more central wireless devices, than a hop count of the apparatus from the one or more central wireless devices;

entering, by the apparatus, a sleep mode based on a known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages received from the selected wireless device;

awaking, by the apparatus, from the sleep mode based on the known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages of the selected wireless device; and

creating, by the apparatus, a connection with the selected wireless device and transmitting to the selected wireless device the information for delivery to the one or more central wireless devices via the connection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the apparatus wirelessly connects to the selected wireless device after awaking from the sleep mode, and then transmits to the selected wireless device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages transmitted by the selected wireless device, is at least one of:

an advertisement interval received in the advertising messages, an interval indicated by an AD type of the advertising message, an interval preconfigured in the apparatus'"'"' memory, or an interval detected during a previous discovery process or connection phase.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the selecting of the selected wireless device further includes selecting a wireless device with a smallest hop count, if an RSSI of that device satisfies a predetermined threshold.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein if the hop count of the apparatus is one to the one or more central wireless devices, then transmitting one or more device discovery messages indicating the information is available for polling by the one or more central wireless devices.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive wireless device discovery messages from one or more other wireless devices in a wireless network, each received wireless discovery message including a received hop count value indicating how many hops away from one or more central wireless devices, a respective one of the one or more other wireless devices is that sent the received wireless discovery message;

memorize a smallest hop count value indicated in the received wireless device discovery messages; and

transmit wireless device discovery messages including a transmitted hop count value of the apparatus, which is one greater than the smallest hop count value, indicating how many hops away the apparatus is from one or more central wireless devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

memorize the smallest hop count value indicated in the received wireless device discovery messages, if an RSSI value of the received wireless device discovery messages is greater than a threshold value.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

determine that the apparatus has information to deliver to the one or more central wireless devices;

select a wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, the selected wireless device having a smaller hop count value, than the hop count value of the apparatus;

enter a sleep mode based on a known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages received from the selected wireless device;

awake from the sleep mode based on the known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages of the selected wireless device; and

create a connection with the selected wireless device and transmit to the selected wireless device the information for delivery to the one or more central wireless devices via the connection.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

determine that the apparatus has information to deliver to one or more central wireless devices in a wireless network that includes one or more other wireless devices;

select a wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, the selected wireless device having a smaller hop count from the one or more central wireless devices, than a hop count of the apparatus from the one or more central wireless devices;

enter a sleep mode based on a known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages received from the selected wireless device;

awake from the sleep mode based on the known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages of the selected wireless device; and

create a connection with the selected wireless device and transmit to the selected wireless device the information for delivery to the one or more central wireless devices via the connection.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus wirelessly connects to the selected wireless device after awaking from the sleep mode, and then transmits to the selected wireless device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages transmitted by the selected wireless device, is at least one of:

an advertisement interval received in the advertising messages, an interval indicated by an AD type of the advertising message, an interval preconfigured in the apparatus'"'"' memory, or an interval detected during a previous discovery process or connection phase.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the selecting of the selected wireless device further includes selecting a wireless device with a smallest hop count, if an RSSI of that device satisfies a predetermined threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein if the hop count of the apparatus is one to the one or more central wireless devices, then transmitting one or more device discovery messages indicating the information is available for polling by the one or more central wireless devices.

18. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code for receiving, by an apparatus, wireless device discovery messages from one or more other wireless devices in a wireless network, each received wireless discovery message including a received hop count value indicating how many hops away from one or more central wireless devices, a respective one of the one or more other wireless devices is that sent the received wireless discovery message;

code for memorizing, by the apparatus, a smallest hop count value indicated in the received wireless device discovery messages; and

code for transmitting, by the apparatus, wireless device discovery messages including a transmitted hop count value of the apparatus, which is one greater than the smallest hop count value, indicating how many hops away the apparatus is from one or more central wireless devices.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

code for memorizing, by the apparatus, the smallest hop count value indicated in the received wireless device discovery messages, if an RSSI value of the received wireless device discovery messages is greater than a threshold value.

20. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code for determining, by an apparatus, that it has information to deliver to one or more central wireless devices in a wireless network that includes one or more other wireless devices;

code for selecting, by the apparatus, a wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, the selected wireless device having a smaller hop count from the one or more central wireless devices, than a hop count of the apparatus from the one or more central wireless devices;

code for entering, by the apparatus, a sleep mode based on a known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages received from the selected wireless device;

code for awaking, by the apparatus, from the sleep mode based on the known repetition interval of wireless device discovery messages of the selected wireless device; and

code for creating, by the apparatus, a connection with the selected wireless device and transmitting to the selected wireless device the information for delivery to the one or more central wireless devices via the connection.