Power efficient communications

• US 9,237,526 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunrise Micro Devices, Inc. (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sunrise Micro Devices, Inc. (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Callaway, Edgar H. Jr., Gorday, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): LO, DIANE LEE
• Application Number:
  US13/045,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20110222454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2614 Peak power aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/748 Negotiation of resources, e.g. modification of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method, system, and device provide power-efficient communications within the context of available power. Transmission and receipt data rates are scalable in accordance with output power available from a power source. Data is transmitted at a data rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power.

Claims

1. A wireless transmitting system, comprising:

an energy harvesting electrical power source, capable of producing an output power determined to be available;

a transceiver configured to have a data transmission rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power and receiving data at a data reception rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power;

a controller coupled to the transceiver that controls the transceiver to keep the power drawn by the transceiver from the electrical power source less than the determined available output power and to maximize consumption of the determined available output power by the transceiver; and

a communication device, wherein a range between the transceiver and the communication device is estimated from the data reception rate and wherein an RSSI value is not needed to estimate the range.

2. A wireless transmitting system, comprising:

an energy harvesting electrical power source, capable of producing an output power determined to be available; and

a transceiver configured to have a data transmission rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power and receiving data at a data reception rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power;

wherein a ratio of peak-to-average power consumed by the transceiver to transmit the data is minimized in order to maximize a portion of the determined available output power used by the transceiver to transmit and wherein the maximized portion of the determined available output power used by the transceiver to transmit does not exceed the determined available output power.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein minimization of the ratio of peak-to-average power consumed by the transceiver provides for an increased data transmission rate of the transceiver.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein minimization of the ratio of peak-to-average power consumed by the transceiver increases a transmission range of the transceiver.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein minimization of the ratio of peak-to-average power consumed by the transceiver provides for the power used by the transceiver to transmit the data to be reduced.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the data transmission rate of the transceiver is increased.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein a transmission range of the transceiver is increased.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the transceiver further comprises:

a synthesizer;

a controlled oscillator; and

a sequencer operable to generate a plurality of enable signals that control operation of the synthesizer, the controlled oscillator, and a transmit signal path of the transceiver,

wherein the sequencer is operable to selectively control operation of the transceiver to prevent simultaneous operation of the synthesizer and the transmit signal path during a transmit period of the transceiver.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sequencer operable to generate a first enable signal that enables the synthesizer, a second enable signal that enables the controlled oscillator, and a third enable signal that enables the transmit signal path of the transceiver and wherein during a warm-up period of the transceiver the sequencer is operable to activate the first enable signal to enable the synthesizer and the second enable signal to enable the controlled oscillator, wait until the synthesizer is locked, and deactivate the first enable signal and activate the third enable signal to enable the transmit signal path during the transmit period of the transceiver, and deactivate the second enable signal and the third enable signal following the transmit period of the transceiver.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the transceiver is operable to reduce the power used by the transceiver to transmit the data by selective control of the operation of a microcomputer and the transceiver to prevent simultaneous operation of the microcomputer and the transceiver during a transmit period of the transceiver.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the microcomputer places a prepared data packet in a transmit buffer while the transceiver is in a transceiver sleep mode and goes into a microcomputer sleep mode after placement of the prepared data packet in the transmit buffer and herein the transceiver wakes up and transmits the prepared data packet and returns to the transceiver sleep mode following transmittal of the prepared data packet.

12. A wireless transmitting system, comprising:

an energy harvesting electrical power source, capable of producing an output power determined to be available; and

a transceiver configured to have a data transmission rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power and receiving data at a data reception rate determined, at least in part, by the determined available output power;

wherein the transceiver is operable to predict a future value of the available output power and in accordance with the predicted change in available output power to change one or more of the transmit power of the transceiver and the data transmission rate of the transceiver and

wherein the power drawn by the transceiver to transmit is maximized up to a maximum power that does not exceed the determined available output power.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein prior to transmitting data the transceiver is operable to change one or more of the transmit power of the transceiver and a data transmission rate of the transceiver in accordance with the predicted future value of the available output power of the electrical power source.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the transceiver is further operable to notify a receiver of the system of the changed data transmission rate of the transceiver.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the transceiver predicts a future value of the available output power of the electrical power source using a plurality of prior values of the available output power of the electrical power source.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the transceiver predicts a future value of the available output power of the electrical power source using a predictive algorithm comprising one or more of a one curve-fitting technique, a linear extrapolation, a non-linear extrapolation, and a heuristic.

17. A wireless transmitting system, comprising:

an electrical power source, capable of producing an output power determined to be available; and

a transceiver configured to have a data transmission rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power and receiving data at a data reception rate determined, at least in part, by the determined available output power;

wherein the transceiver is operable to predict a future value of the available output power and in accordance with the predicted change in available output power to change one or more of the transmit power of the transceiver and the data transmission rate of the transceiver,

wherein in accordance with the predictive algorithm, the transceiver is operable to collect at a plurality of times T<sub>−

n</sub> the available output power P<sub>−

n</sub> of the electrical power source, determine a linear rate of change m of the available output power in accordance with

18. A wireless transmitting system, comprising:

an energy harvesting electrical power source, capable of producing an output power determined to be available; and

a transceiver configured to have a data transmission rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power and receiving data at a data reception rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power;

wherein to optimize the data transmission rate over a communication link the transceiver is operable to transmit a plurality of consecutive data packets over the communication link at a test data transmission rate and determine whether each data packet of the plurality of consecutive data packets was successfully transmitted at the test data transmission rate,

wherein if each data packet of the plurality of consecutive data packets was successfully transmitted at the test data transmission rate, the transceiver is operable to increase the test data transmission rate by a predetermined multiplier to an increased test data transmission rate if the test data transmission rate is not a maximum data transmission rate of the communication link

wherein if one or more of the data packets of the plurality of consecutive data packets was not successfully transmitted at the test data transmission rate, then upon determination that a first data packet of the one or more of the data packets of the plurality of consecutive data packets was not successfully transmitted the transceiver is operable to reduce the test data transmission rate by a predetermined divider to a reduced test data transmission rate and transmit the first data packet of the one or more data packets of the plurality of consecutive data packets at the reduced test data transmission rate and

wherein the power drawn by the transceiver to transmit is maximized up to a maximum power that does not exceed the determined available output power.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the transceiver determines whether the plurality of consecutive data packets were successfully transmitted by determining whether an acknowledge message is received for each data packet of the plurality of consecutive data packets transmitted.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein before transmitting the plurality of data packets over the communication link, the transceiver is operable to determine a maximum data transmission rate of the communication link and transmit the plurality of data packets over the communication link at the maximum determined data transmission rate.