Transmission timing for battery powered devices

• US 9,456,258 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2015
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Global Sarl (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Mani, Mehdi, Van Wyk, Hartman, Rigdon, Kenneth Charles, Nelson, Elliott Adam, Barnes, Keith, Banaouas, Iskander, Khaled, Yacine, Nguyen, Viet-Hung H., Mainaud, Bastien
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherwin, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US14/796,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques to minimize the electricity consumption of battery powered devices during network communications and performance of other functions. Example techniques include efficiently discovering other mains powered and battery powered devices within communication range of the battery powered device. In another example, techniques enable a battery powered device to serve as a relay for one or more other battery powered devices. In another example, techniques ensure that transmissions to and/or from battery powered devices are delivered efficiently and with low latency. In yet another example, techniques determine whether and under what conditions a battery powered device should migrate from one network to another. In the event of migration, example techniques minimize battery consumption associated with the migration.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least in part by a network communication device, the method comprising:

obtaining data to be transmitted to a recipient device;

determining whether the recipient device is a battery powered recipient device or a mains powered recipient device;

determining a class of information contained in the data;

determining a time to transmit the data to the recipient device based at least in part on;

the determination of whether the recipient device is a battery powered recipient device or a mains powered recipient device; and

the class of information contained in the data; and

transmitting the data to the recipient device at the determined time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the recipient device is determined to be a battery powered recipient device;

the class of information contained in the data comprises a command or control instructing the battery powered recipient device to perform an operation, which is given priority over other classes of data; and

the time to transmit the data to the battery powered recipient device is prioritized to a next scheduled time slot between the network communication device and the battery powered recipient device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the time to transmit the data to the battery powered recipient device is at most 30 seconds after the command or control data is obtained.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the recipient device is determined to be a battery powered recipient device;

the class of information contained in the data comprises information that is to be transmitted in an order that it was received; and

the time to transmit the data to the battery powered recipient device comprises a scheduled time slot between the network communication device and the battery powered recipient device that is after command or control data is transmitted and after any previously obtained data has been transmitted.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the recipient device is determined to be a battery powered recipient device;

the class of information contained in the data comprises low latency data, which is given priority over other classes of data; and

the time to transmit the data to the battery powered recipient device is prioritized to a next scheduled time slot between the network communication device and the battery powered recipient device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the time to transmit the data to the battery powered recipient device is at most 30 seconds after the low latency data is obtained.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the recipient device is determined to be a mains powered recipient device;

the class of information contained in the data comprises an alarm, which is given priority over other classes of data; and

the time to transmit the data to the mains powered recipient device is substantially immediately following occurrence of the alarm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the class of information contained in the data comprises resource consumption data; and

the time to transmit the data to the recipient device is determined in response to receipt of a read request from the recipient device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the data in a store-and-forward module of the network communication device until the determined time to transmit the data to the recipient device.

10. A network communication device comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

a classifier stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to;

receive data destined for a recipient device; and

determine whether the recipient device is a battery powered recipient device or a mains powered recipient device; and

a store-and-forward module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to;

store the received data that is destined for a battery powered recipient device prior to forwarding the data to the battery powered recipient device; and

forward the data to the recipient device.

11. The network communication device of claim 10, wherein the store-and-forward module is further executable to:

determine a class of information contained in the data; and

forward the data to the recipient device based further in part on the determined class of information contained in the data.

12. The network communication device of claim 10, wherein:

the recipient device is determined to be a battery powered recipient device;

the store-and-forward module is executable to forward the data to the battery powered recipient device based at least on;

a schedule of communication time slots with the battery powered recipient device; and

a class of information contained in the data.

13. The network communication device of claim 12, wherein:

the network communication device is a battery powered device;

the recipient device is determined to be a battery powered recipient device; and

the store-and-forward module is executable to forward the data to the battery powered recipient device based further on a duty cycle imposed by characteristics of a battery of the network communication device.

14. The network communication device of claim 10, wherein:

the network communication device is a battery powered device; and

the store-and-forward module is executable to forward the data to the recipient device based at least on a duty cycle imposed by characteristics of a battery of the network communication device.

15. The network communication device of claim 14, wherein the store-and-forward module is executable to forward the data to the battery powered recipient device based further on at least one of:

a class of information contained in the data; and

a queue of other packets originating locally and/or from other battery powered devices for which the network communication device serves as a relay.

16. The network communication device of claim 10, wherein the network communication device comprises or is associated with a utility meter.

17. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a mains powered device, configure the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving data destined for one or more recipient devices;

determining whether at least one recipient device is a battery powered recipient device or a mains powered recipient device;

when none of the one or more recipient devices are battery powered recipient devices, forwarding the data to the one or more recipient devices substantially immediately after receiving the data; and

when at least one recipient device of the one or more recipient devices is a battery powered recipient device, storing the data in a store-and-forward module of the mains powered device for subsequent transmission to the one or more recipient devices.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein when at least one recipient device of the one or more recipient devices is a battery powered recipient device, the operations further comprising:

notifying the at least one battery powered recipient device to wake to receive the data at a scheduled time slot; and

forwarding the data to the at least one battery powered recipient device at the scheduled time slot.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the scheduled time slot is based at least in part on a class of information contained in the data.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the class of information contained in the data comprises a command or control and the data is prioritized to be transmitted at a time sooner than data other than command or control data.