System and method for reducing power used for radio transmission and reception

• US 8,681,671 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hui, Jonathan W, Culler, David E
• Primary Examiner(s): Taha, Shaq
• Application Number:
  US12/004,140
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method allows devices to send and receive packets while using power to do so in a manner that responds to events, such as receipt or other identification of different parameters that control how packets are sent and received.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting at least one data packet, the method comprising:

receiving, from one or more radios, one or more data packets;

identifying a first data packet group of the one or more data packets and a second data packet group of the one or more data packets, the first data packet group having a higher priority than the second data packet group, wherein the priority is based at least in part on (i) a number of data packets in each data packet group, (ii) the one or more radios transmitting the one or more data packets, (iii) remaining battery power of each radio transmitting the one or more data packets, (iv) a power source of each radio transmitting the one or more data packets, (v) a size of the data packets in each data packet group, or (vi) a number of data packets that each radio is expected to transmit;

determining a quantity corresponding to the one or more data packets, wherein data packets in the first data packet group increase the quantity more than data packets in the second data packet group and wherein the quantity comprises an indication of time;

determining, with an energy identification manager, whether the quantity satisfies a threshold amount;

responsive to determining the quantity not satisfying the threshold amount, store at least a portion of the one or more data packets until the quantity satisfies the threshold amount; and

responsive to determining the quantity satisfies the threshold amount;

generate one or more chirp packets associated with the one or more data packets;

determining, from each of the chirp packets, an amount of time to indicate a delay between an end of a broadcast of a respective chirp packet and a beginning of a broadcast of the associated one or more data packets;

wirelessly broadcast one chirp packet at a time in series from the one or more chirp packets; and

wirelessly broadcast the one or more data packets at a time that is based on the delay indicated in at least one of the one or more associated chirp packets that are broadcasted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more chirp packets additionally comprises a same pattern of data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is identified responsive to a determination that power is to be conserved by a first device performing at least a portion of the method.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold is identified so as to cause the at least one data packet to contain more data under at least one circumstance that power is to be conserved by the first device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the threshold is identified so as to cause an amount of data in the at least the portion of the at least one data packet to contain more data under at least one circumstance that power is to be conserved by a second device, different from the first device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a quantity corresponding to the one or more data packets comprises multiplying the data packets in the first data packet group by a factor.

7. A system of broadcasting at least one data packet, the system comprising:

an administration manager configured to identify at least one threshold amount and to provide at an output at least the one threshold amount;

a packet queue manager coupled to one or more processors comprising;

a first input configured to receive, from one or more radios, one or more data packets, and

a second input, coupled to a first output of the administration manager, configured to receive the at least one threshold amount, and

the packet queue manager being configured to;

provide the one or more data packets at a first output of the packet queue manager;

identify a first data packet group of the one or more data packets and a second data packet group of the one or more data packets, the first data packet group having a higher priority than the second data packet group, wherein the priority is based at least in part on (i) a number of data packets in each data packet group, (ii) the one or more radios transmitting the one or more data packets, (iii) remaining battery power of each radio transmitting the one or more data packets, (iv) a power source of each radio transmitting the one or more data packets, (v) a size of the data packets in each data packet group, or (vi) a number of data packets that each radio is expected to transmit;

determine a quantity corresponding to the one or more data packets, wherein data packets in the first data packet group increase the quantity more than data packets in the second data packet group and wherein the quantity comprises a number of data units in the at least one data packet;

identify whether the quantity satisfies the at least one threshold amount;

responsive to determining the quantity not satisfying the threshold amount, generate instructions to store at least a portion of the one or more data packets until the quantity satisfies the threshold amount; and

responsive to determining the quantity satisfying the threshold amount, provide a signal at the first output of the packet queue manager; and

a chirp transmission manager having an input coupled to the first output of the packet queue manager to receive the signal, wherein responsive to the signal received at the input of the chirp transmission manager, the chirp transmission manager is configured to;

generate one or more chirp packets associated with the one or more data packets;

determining, from each of the chirp packets, an amount of time to indicate a delay between an end of a broadcast of a respective chirp packet and a beginning of a broadcast of the associated one or more data packets; and

wirelessly broadcast, from a first output of the chirp transmission manager, one chirp packet at a time in series from the one or more chirp packets; and

a packet transmission manager coupled to the chirp transmission manager and the packet queue manager, the packet transmission manager being configured to wirelessly broadcast the one or more data packets at the time that is based on the delay indicated in at least one of the one or more associated chirp packets that are broadcasted.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the one or more chirp packets additionally comprises a same pattern of data.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the threshold is identified responsive to a determination that power is to be conserved by a first device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the threshold is identified so as to cause the at least one data packet to contain more data under at least one circumstance that power is to be conserved by the first device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the threshold is identified so as to cause an amount of data in the at least the portion of the at least one data packet to contain more data under at least one circumstance that power is to be conserved by a second device, different from the first device.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein determining a quantity corresponding to the one or more data packets comprises multiplying the data packets in the first data packet group by a factor.

12. A computer program product comprising a tangible, non-transitory computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for broadcasting at least one data packet, the computer program product comprising computer readable program code configured to cause a computer system to:

receive, from one or more radios, one or more data packets;

identify a first data packet group of the one or more data packets and a second data packet group of the one or more data packets, the first data packet group having a higher priority than the second data packet group, wherein the priority is based at least in part on (i) a number of data packets in each data packet group, (ii) the one or more radios transmitting the one or more data packets, (iii) remaining battery power of each radio transmitting the one or more data packets, (iv) a power source of each radio transmitting the one or more data packets, (v) a size of the data packets in each data packet group, or (vi) a number of data packets that each radio is expected to transmit;

determine a quantity corresponding to the one or more data packets, wherein data packets in the first data packet group increase the quantity more than data packets in the second data packet group and wherein the quantity comprises an indication of time;

determine, with an energy identification manager, whether the quantity satisfies a threshold amount;

responsive to determining the quantity not satisfying the threshold amount, store at least a portion of the one or more data packets at least until the quantity satisfies the threshold amount; and

responsive to determining the quantity satisfying the threshold amount;

generate one or more chirp packets associated with the one or more data packets;

determining, from each of the chirp packets, an amount of time to indicate a delay between an end of a broadcast of a respective chirp packet and a beginning of a broadcast of the associated one or more data packets;

wirelessly broadcast one chirp packet at a time in series from the one or more chirp packets; and

wirelessly broadcast the one or more data packets at a time that is based on the delay indicated in at least one of the one or more associated chirp packets that are broadcasted.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein each of the one or more chirp packets additionally comprises a same pattern.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising having computer readable program code for the threshold to be identified responsive to a determination that power is to be conserved by a first device.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising having computer readable program code for the threshold to be identified so as to cause the at least one data packet to contain more data under at least one circumstance that power is to be conserved by the first device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising having computer readable program code for the threshold to be identified so as to cause an amount of data in the at least the portion of the at least one data packet to contain more data under at least one circumstance that power is to be conserved by a second device, different from the first device.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein determining a quantity corresponding to the one or more data packets comprises multiplying the data packets in the first data packet group by a factor.