Shaping data packet traffic

• US 9,420,532 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Luo, Sai, Zheng, Shanshan, Shang, Li, Zhou, Xin, Lin, Chunxiao, Chan, Sun
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar, Shailendra
• Application Number:
  US13/976,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20140029500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/230, 370/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a communication module 120 may be configured to transmit data packet traffic and a management module 110 may be configured to shape the data packet traffic transmitted by the communication module 120. The management module 110 may shape the data packet traffic by buffering data packets routed at different times to the communication module 120 based on at least one power management factor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing electrical power consumption associated with data packet traffic, the apparatus comprising:

a communication module configured to transmit data packet traffic; and

a management module configured to reduce electrical power consumption by shaping the data packet traffic to be transmitted by the communication module to;

buffer data packets routed at different times to the communication module based on determining a transmit time period that is based on (i) a data processing rate, (ii) a latency tolerance defined as a number of time periods within which a first of the data packets needs to be transmitted, and (iii) a data transmission rate, and

send buffered data packets to the communication module for transmission of the buffered data packets by the communication module within the determined transmit time period; and

a decision engine to (i) determine a time period to buffer data packets based on the latency tolerance and the size of the first of the data packets, (ii) determine whether the data processing rate or the data transmission rate is slower each time a data packet is received or when a first data packet in a queue is received, (iii) based on the slower of the data processing rate and the data transmission rate, determine if a number of data packets being buffered is greater than a number of data packets that may be processed during a period that is equal to the latency tolerance, (iv) set a timer to the period equal to the data packet latency tolerance, and (v) start the timer when the management module receives a data packet and no data is currently being buffered wherein the management module buffers incoming data packets while the timer counts down and sends the buffered data packets to the communication module after the timer expires.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is a wireless radio configured to wirelessly transmit the shaped data packet traffic.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is to have available bandwidth to transmit the data packets while the data packets are buffered by the management module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one power management factor includes at least one of:

a number of buffered data packets, a period in which the communication module is idle, a data processing rate, and an electrical power consumption setting.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one power management factor is a data transmission rate of the communication module.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module and management module are associated with a mobile device.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the mobile device comprises a processing module configured to run an application that is to generate the data packets for transmission by the communication module, the processing module to route the data packets to the communication module.

8. A gateway comprising the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gateway is to handle routing of the data packets between a device and a computing module.

9. The gateway of claim 8, wherein the gateway is to receive the data packets from the computing module and route the data packets to the communication module.

10. The gateway of claim 8, wherein the computing module is a server.

11. An apparatus for reducing electrical power consumption associated with data packet traffic, the apparatus comprising:

a gateway configured to manage communications between a device and a computing module, the gateway comprising;

a communication module configured to transmit data packets to the device; and

a management module configured to reduce electrical power consumption by sending a signal to the device to indicate a level of data packet traffic from the computing module, wherein the management module is further configured to shape data packet traffic configured to transmit to the device by the communication module to;

buffer the data packets routed at different times to the communication module by the computing module based on determining a transmit time period that is based on (i) a data processing rate, (ii) a latency tolerance defined as a number of time periods within which a first of the data packets needs to be transmitted, and (iii) a data transmission rate, and

send buffered data packets together to the communication module for transmission of the buffered data packets to the device within the determined transmit time period; and

a decision engine to (i) determine a time period to buffer data packets based on the latency tolerance and the size of the first of the data packets, (ii) determine whether the data processing rate or the data transmission rate is slower each time a data packet is received or when a first data packet in a queue is received, (iii) based on the slower of the data processing rate and the data transmission rate, determine if a number of data packets being buffered is greater than a number of data packets that may be processed during a period that is equal to the latency tolerance wherein in a case that the number of data packets being buffered is greater than a number of data packets that may be processed during a period that is equal to the latency tolerance, the management module sends the amount of data packets that may be processed during a period equal to the data packet latency tolerance to the communication module for transmission, (iv) set a timer to the period equal to the data packet latency tolerance, and (v) start the timer when the management module receives a data packet and no data is currently being buffered wherein the management module buffers incoming data packets while the timer counts down and sends the buffered data packets to the communication module after the timer expires.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing module is a server.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein when the signal indicates no data packet traffic from the computing module, the device is to enter a low electrical power mode.

14. A method for reducing electrical power consumption associated with data packet traffic, the method comprising:

receiving and buffering a first data packet routed to a communication module for transmission of the first data packet;

receiving and buffering a second data packet routed to the communication module for transmission of the second data packet, the second data packet received after reception of the first data packet;

determine a period to buffer and transmit the first and second data packets based on determining a transmit time period that is based on (i) a data processing rate, (ii) a latency tolerance defined as a number of time periods within which a first of the data packets needs to be transmitted, and (iii) a data transmission rate;

determining a time period to buffer data packets based on the latency tolerance and the size of the first of the data packets;

determining whether the data processing rate or the data transmission rate is slower each time a data packet is received or when a first data packet in a queue is received;

based on the slower of the data processing rate and the data transmission rate, determining if a number of data packets being buffered is greater than a number of data packets that may be processed during a period that is equal to the latency tolerance;

setting a timer to the period equal to the data packet latency tolerance; and

starting the timer when a data packet is received and no data is currently being buffered wherein the incoming data packets are buffered while the timer counts down and are sent to the communication module after the timer expires; and

transmitting at least a portion of the first and second data packets using the communication module.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one power management factor is a data transmission rate at which the first and second packets are transmitted.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving and buffering a third data packet routed to the communication module for transmission of the third data packet, the third data packet received after reception of the first and second data packets, wherein a period to buffer the third data packet is based on at least one power management factor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first, second, and third data packets are wirelessly transmitted by the communication module.