Method and circuit for reducing power consumption of a wireless local network

• US 7,599,325 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIA Technologies Incorporated (VIA Technologies)
• Original Assignee: VIA Technologies Incorporated (VIA Technologies)
• Inventors: Yen, You-Hu, Lin, Chen-Jung, Wu, Chun-Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper; Vincent P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa; Marisol
• Application Number:
  US11/371,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20070211655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/574, 455/550.1, 370/328, 370/311
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for reducing power consumption of a wireless local area network is provided. The wireless local area network comprises a first station communicating according to a first version communication standard, a second station communicating according to a second version communication standard, and an access point. The second station has a first baseband transceiver and a second baseband transceiver for respectively communicating packets according to the first and the second version communication standards. A communication mode of the second station, representing whether the second station communicates according to the first or the second version communication standards, is first stored. The second baseband transceiver is then disabled if the communication mode is the first version communication standard. A plurality of packets of the second station are then modulated or demodulated with the first baseband transceiver according to the first version communication standard.

Claims

1. A method for reducing power consumption of a wireless local area network, wherein there are an IEEE 802.11b and an IEEE 802.11g standards suitable for the wireless local area network, the wireless local area network comprises a 802.11b station communicating according to the IEEE 802.11b standard, a 802.11g station communicating according to the IEEE 802.11g standard, and an access point, and the 802.11g station has a DSSS baseband transceiver and an OFDM baseband transceiver for respectively communicating packets according to the IEEE 802.11b and the IEEE 802.11g standards, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a communication mode of the 802.11g station, wherein the communication mode represents whether the 802.11g station communicates according to the IEEE 802.11b or the IEEE 802.11g standards;

disabling the OFDM baseband transceiver of the 802.11g station if the communication mode is the IEEE 802.11b standard;

modulating a plurality of first packets of the 802.11g station with the DSSS baseband transceiver according to the IEEE 802.11b standard before the plurality of first packets is delivered by the 802.11g station;

demodulating a plurality of second packets of the 802.11g station with the DSSS baseband transceiver according to the IEEE 802.11b standard after the plurality of second packets is received by the 802.11g station; and

restraining the 802.11g station from sending a CTS to self command to the 802.11b station before communicating with the access point to save network communication bandwidth if the access point is an 802.11g access point.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

restraining the access point from sending a request to send (RTS) command to the 802.11b station before communicating with the 802.11g station to save network communication bandwidth if the access point is an 802.11g access point.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of first packets are modulated by the 802.11g station with the DSSS baseband transceiver according to a direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) technique in the modulating step, and the plurality of second packets are demodulated by the 802.11g station with the DSSS baseband transceiver according to the DSSS technique in the demodulating step.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

disabling some modules of the OFDM baseband transceiver and all modules of the DSSS baseband transceiver of the 802.11g station for saving power if a third packet received by the 802.11g station is an OFDM packet.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

disabling all modules of the OFDM baseband transceiver of the 802.11g station for saving power if a third packet received by the 802.11g station is a DSSS/CCK packet.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

reading a signal field of a third packet received by the 802.11g station to obtain an operating data rate of the third packet; and

disabling some modules of the DSSS baseband transceiver of the 802.11g station for reducing power consumption according to the operating data rate if the third packet is a DSSS/CCK packet.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the DSSS baseband transceiver includes a plurality of transmit and receive modules corresponding to different data rate, and the disabling step disables the modules corresponding to data rates higher than the operating data rate among the plurality of transmit and receive modules.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

disabling some modules of the OFDM baseband transceiver of the 802.11g station for reducing power consumption according to the operating data rate if the third packet is an OFDM packet.

9. A 802.11g station, wirelessly coupled to an access point of a wireless local area network, wherein there are an IEEE 802.11b and an IEEE 802.11g standards suitable for the wireless local area network, and the wireless local area network includes a 802.11b station communicating according to the IEEE 802.11b standard, the 802.11g station comprising:

a DSSS baseband transceiver, for communicating packets of the 802.11g station according to the IEEE 802.11b standard;

an OFDM baseband transceiver, for communicating packets of the 802.11g station according to the IEEE 802.11g standard; and

a control module, coupled to the DSSS and OFDM baseband transceivers, for storing a communication mode representing whether the 802.11g station communicates according to the IEEE 802.11b or the IEEE 802.11g standards, disabling the OFDM baseband transceiver of the 802.11g station if the communication mode is the IEEE 802.11b standard, controlling the DSSS baseband transceiver to modulate a plurality of first packets according to the IEEE 802.11b standard before the plurality of first packets is delivered, controlling the DSSS baseband transceiver to demodulate a plurality of second packets according to the IEEE 802.11b standard after the plurality of second packets is received, and restrains the 802.11g station from sending a CTS to self command to the 802.11b station before communicating with the access point to save network communication bandwidth if the access point is an 802.11g access point.

10. The wireless communication station as claimed in claim 9, wherein the access point is restrained from sending a request to send (RTS) command to the 802.11b station before communicating with the 802.11g station to save network communication bandwidth if the access point is an 802.11g access point.

11. The 802.11g station as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plurality of first packets are modulated by the 802.11g station with the DSSS baseband transceiver according to a direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) technique, and the plurality of second packets are demodulated by the 802.11g station with the DSSS baseband transceiver according to the DSSS technique.

12. The 802.11g station as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless communication station further comprises:

a power saving module, coupled to the OFDM baseband transceiver and the DSSS baseband transceiver, for disabling modules of the OFDM baseband transceiver or modules of the DSSS baseband transceiver for saving power according to whether a third packet received by the 802.11g station is an OFDM packet or a DSSS/CCK packet.

13. The 802.11g station as claimed in claim 12, wherein some modules of the OFDM baseband transceiver and all modules of the DSSS baseband transceiver are disabled by the power saving module if the third packet received by the wireless communication station is an OFDM packet.

14. The 802.11g station as claimed in claim 12, wherein all modules of the OFDM baseband transceiver of the 802.11g station are disabled by the power saving module if the packet received by the 802.11g station is a DSSS/CCK packet.

15. The 802.11g station as claimed in claim 12, wherein a signal field of the packet is read by the DSSS baseband transceiver to obtain an operating data rate of the packet if the packet is a DSSS/CCK packet, and some modules of the DSSS baseband transceiver are then disabled by the power saving module according to the operating data rate.

16. The 802.11g station as claimed in claim 15, wherein the DSSS baseband transceiver includes a plurality of transmit and receive modules corresponding to different data rates, and the some modules corresponding to data rates larger than the operating data rate among the plurality of transmit and receive modules are disabled by the power saving module.

17. A wireless network, wherein there are an IEEE 802.11b and an IEEE 802.11g standards suitable for the wireless network, the wireless network comprising:

an access point;

a 802.11b station, communicating according to the IEEE 802.11b standard; and

a 802.11g station, communicating according to the IEEE 802.11g standard, having a DSSS baseband transceiver and an OFDM baseband transceiver for respectively communicating packets according to the IEEE 802.11b and the IEEE 802.11g standards, restraining itself from sending a CTS to self command to the 802.11b station before communicating with the access point to save network communication bandwidth if the access point is an 802.11g access point, wherein the 802.11g station stores a communication mode representing whether the 802.11g station communicates according to the IEEE 802.11b or the IEEE 802.11g standards, disables the OFDM baseband transceiver of the 802.11g station if the communication mode is the IEEE 802.11b standard, modulates a plurality of first packets of the 802.11g station with the DSSS baseband transceiver according to the IEEE 802.11b standard before the plurality of first packets is delivered by the 802.11g station, and demodulates a plurality of second packets of the 802.11g station with the DSSS baseband transceiver according to the IEEE 802.11b standard after the plurality of second packets is received by the 802.11g station.

18. The wireless network as claimed in claim 17, wherein the access point is restrained from sending a request to send (RTS) command to the 802.11b station before communicating with the 802.11g station to save network communication bandwidth if the access point is an 802.11g access point.