Wireless field device and power management

• US 9,408,146 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2011
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Uemura, Toshimitsu, Sugitani, Kuniaki, Yoshino, Hiroki, Fujimoto, Naoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): ZUNIGA ABAD, JACKIE
• Application Number:
  US13/171,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20120002605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0833 for reduction of network energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless field device that performs a wireless communication with other field devices in a wireless network through a gateway. The device includes: a battery incorporated in the field device to activate the field device; and a wireless communication module configured to exchange radio signals with the gateway to perform the wireless communication with said other field devices. When the field device starts procedure for joining in the wireless network, firstly, the wireless communication module continuously accesses the gateway in a first period to receive an advertisement signal from the gateway, and when the wireless communication module fails to receive the advertisement signal in the first period, the wireless communication module intermittently accesses the gateway until receiving the advertisement signal from the gateway.

Claims

1. A wireless field device that performs a wireless communication with other field devices in a wireless network through a gateway, the device comprising:

a battery incorporated in the field device to activate the field device; and

a wireless communicator configured to exchange radio signals with the gateway to perform the wireless communication with said other field devices,

wherein when the field device starts a procedure for joining in the wireless network, firstly, the wireless communicator continuously attempts to access the gateway in a first period in order to receive an advertisement signal from the gateway, and

when the wireless communicator cannot access the gateway and receive the advertisement signal in the first period, the wireless communicator intermittently attempts to access the gateway until receiving the advertisement signal from the gateway,

wherein when the wireless communicator cannot access the gateway and receive the advertisement signal from the gateway in the first period, the wireless communicator is made inactive in a second period and then the wireless communicator is made active in a third period,

wherein the second period and the third period are alternately repeated until the wireless communicator receives the advertisement signal from the gateway,

wherein the wireless communicator is activated by a current that is more than a threshold current, the current being generated from the battery, and

wherein a current supplied to the wireless communicator is less than the threshold current in the second period, and

a current supplied to the wireless communicator is more than the threshold current in the third period.

2. A wireless field device that performs a wireless communication with other field devices in a wireless network through a gateway, the device comprising:

a battery incorporated in the field device to activate the field device; and

a wireless communicator configured to exchange radio signals with the gateway to perform the wireless communication with said other field devices,

wherein when the field device starts a procedure for joining in the wireless network, firstly, the wireless communicator continuously attempts to access the gateway in a first period in order to receive an advertisement signal from the gateway, and

when the wireless communicator cannot access the gateway and receive the advertisement signal in the first period, the wireless communicator intermittently attempts to access the gateway until receiving the advertisement signal from the gateway,

wherein when the wireless communicator cannot access the gateway and receive the advertisement signal from the gateway in the first period, the wireless communicator is made inactive in a second period and then the wireless communicator is made active in a third period,

wherein the second period and the third period are alternately repeated until the wireless communicator receives the advertisement signal from the gateway, and

wherein if there are a plurality of wireless devices that start the procedure for joining in the wireless network, start points of the third period are different for each of the plurality of wireless devices.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the start points of the third period are set based on unique addresses assigned to the plurality of wireless devices.