Bluetooth sniff mode power saving
First Claim
1. A wireless system comprising a master wireless unit arranged to communicate with a slave wireless unit by sending packets, the master unit having a controller arranged to address the slave unit to enable the slave unit to synchronize to the master unit in an active link by sending a number of first packets down the link for which if a response is received from the slave unit, the active link is maintained, the slave unit being adapted to respond to some, but not every first packet, wherein the slave unit is in a low power mode operation for as long as the slave unit receives the first packets but is not required to respond to every first packet.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A Bluetooth master radio frequency unit addresses a slave radio frequency unit, to enable the slave to synchronize to the master, by sending poll packets and optionally null packets over an active link, the master being arranged so that receipt of a response from the slave unit to a poll packet is sufficient to maintain the active link. The slave unit does not have to respond to all of the poll packets. This approach can allow the slave to preserve more (transmit) power by going into a deep sleep mode in which a low power oscillator may be used while still allowing the master unit to detect whether the slave has resynchronized or not (and thus to update a Link Supervision Timer, for example).
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Citations
28 Claims
- 1. A wireless system comprising a master wireless unit arranged to communicate with a slave wireless unit by sending packets, the master unit having a controller arranged to address the slave unit to enable the slave unit to synchronize to the master unit in an active link by sending a number of first packets down the link for which if a response is received from the slave unit, the active link is maintained, the slave unit being adapted to respond to some, but not every first packet, wherein the slave unit is in a low power mode operation for as long as the slave unit receives the first packets but is not required to respond to every first packet.
- 13. A master wireless unit for use with a wireless system, the master unit being arranged to communicate with a slave wireless unit by sending packets, the master unit having a controller arranged to address the slave unit to enable the slave unit to synchronize to the master unit in an active link by sending a number of first packets down the link for which if a response is received from the slave unit, the active link is maintained, wherein the slave unit is in a low power mode operation for as long as the slave unit receives the first packets but is not required to respond to every first packet, the master unit being adapted to maintain the active link if the slave unit responds to some of the first packets but does not respond to every first packet, wherein the first packets prompt a response from the slave unit.
- 22. A slave wireless unit for a wireless system, the slave unit being adapted for communication with a master wireless unit by sending packets, the slave unit having a controller arranged to receive first packets from the master unit to enable the slave unit to synchronize to the master unit in an active link following transmission by the master unit of a number of the first packets down the link for which if a response is sent from the slave unit, the active link is maintained, the slave unit being adapted to respond to some but not to respond to every received first packet, wherein the slave unit is in a low power mode operation for as long as the slave unit receives the first packets but is not required to respond to every first packet.
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28. A method of using a master wireless unit to communicate with a slave wireless unit by sending packets, and to address the slave to enable the slave unit to synchronize to the master unit in an active link, the method comprising:
- sending from the master wireless unit to the slave wireless unit, a number of first packets for which a response from the slave unit is sufficient to maintain the active link, the slave unit not responding to all but responding to some of the first packets, wherein the slave unit is in a low power mode operation for as long as the slave unit receives the first packets but is not required to respond to every first packet.
Specification