Collaborative demand-based dual-mode Wi-Fi network control to optimize wireless power and performance

• US 9,668,204 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Subramaniam, Vijay Naicker, Rabii, Khosro Mohammad, Balasubramanyam, Shivakumar, Shaukat, Fawad
• Primary Examiner(s): O CONNOR, BRIAN T
• Application Number:
  US14/491,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a collaborative demand-based dual-mode Wi-Fi network control framework that may optimize wireless power and performance on wireless devices that may support multiple Wi-Fi networking technologies. In particular, a high performance Wi-Fi link may be reserved to services or applications that have substantial quality of service (QoS) requirements and conventional Wi-Fi links may be utilized to transfer data for services or applications that have typical performance requirements. For example, bandwidth requirements associated with forward traffic may be measured according to sizes and latency requirements associated with the forward traffic and the appropriate Wi-Fi networking mode may be controlled according to the forward traffic bandwidth requirements in combination with the average bandwidth and average retransmission rate associated with the conventional Wi-Fi links, among other factors. Furthermore, when no forward traffic needs to be transmitted, all Wi-Fi subsystems may enter a low power state.

Claims

1. A method for demand-based dual-mode Wi-Fi networking control, comprising:

determining a relative bandwidth requirement associated with one or more forward packets to transmit from a source device that includes at least a first Wi-Fi subsystem and a second Wi-Fi subsystem having one or more transceivers, wherein the first Wi-Fi subsystem has a higher performance level than the second Wi-Fi subsystem;

selecting either the first Wi-Fi subsystem or the second Wi-Fi subsystem based on at least the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets and the performance levels associated with the first and second Wi-Fi subsystems; and

transmitting the one or more forward packets using the selected Wi-Fi subsystem.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

reserving the first Wi-Fi subsystem having the higher performance level to forward traffic that has one or more performance requirements that cannot be satisfied using a wireless technology associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

sending one or more call-ahead signals to a connection manager configured to control the first Wi-Fi subsystem and the second Wi-Fi subsystem, wherein the one or more call-ahead signals instruct the connection manager to activate the selected Wi-Fi subsystem.

4. The method recited in claim 3, further comprising:

performing a service negotiation with a sink device intended to receive the one or more forward packets, wherein the service negotiation instructs the sink device to activate a physical transceiver that implements a wireless technology corresponding to the selected Wi-Fi subsystem used to transmit the one or more forward packets.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein calculating the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets comprises:

dividing a size associated with each forward packet by a latency requirement associated with each forward packet, wherein the bandwidth requirement comprises a first value obtained from summing the size associated with each forward packet divided by the latency requirement associated with each forward packet.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein selecting either the first Wi-Fi subsystem or the second Wi-Fi subsystem comprises:

selecting the first Wi-Fi subsystem in response to the first value exceeding a second value obtained from dividing an average bandwidth associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem by an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein selecting either the first Wi-Fi subsystem or the second Wi-Fi subsystem comprises:

determining a minimum time-to-live among the one or more forward packets; and

predicting a time to transmit the one or more forward packets with the second Wi-Fi subsystem, wherein the predicted time to transmit the one or more forward packets with the second Wi-Fi subsystem comprises a sum of a size associated with each forward packet multiplied by an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem divided by an average bandwidth associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem; and

selecting the first Wi-Fi subsystem in response to determining that the minimum time-to-live among the one or more forward packets equals or exceeds the predicted time to transmit the one or more forward packets with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein selecting either the first Wi-Fi subsystem or the second Wi-Fi subsystem comprises:

determining whether the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets exceeds a threshold value based on an average bandwidth and an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem; and

selecting the second Wi-Fi subsystem in response to determining that the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets does not exceed the threshold value and that a predicted time to transmit the one or more forward packets with the second Wi-Fi subsystem exceeds a minimum time-to-live among the one or more forward packets.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein selecting either the first Wi-Fi subsystem or the second Wi-Fi subsystem comprises:

determining that the second Wi-Fi subsystem can satisfy the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets and further determining that the first Wi-Fi subsystem is turned on; and

selecting the first Wi-Fi subsystem if a time since the first Wi-Fi subsystem was turned on does not exceed a hysteresis timeout value or the second Wi-Fi subsystem if the time since the first Wi-Fi subsystem was turned on equals or exceeds the hysteresis timeout value.

10. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

instructing the first Wi-Fi subsystem and the second Wi-Fi subsystem to enter a low power mode in response to determining that no additional forward packets are pending transmission from the source device subsequent to transmitting the one or more forward packets using the selected Wi-Fi subsystem.

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the bandwidth requirement is calculated based on a collaborative DiffServ analysis that prioritizes the one or more forward packets according to one or more quality of service requirements associated therewith.

12. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the first Wi-Fi subsystem implements 802.11ad technology and the second Wi-Fi subsystem implements one or more of 802.11n technology or 801.11ac technology.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a first Wi-Fi subsystem;

a second Wi-Fi subsystem, wherein the first Wi-Fi subsystem has a higher performance level than the second Wi-Fi subsystem; and

one or more processors configured to;

determine a relative bandwidth requirement associated with one or more forward packets to transmit from the apparatus;

select either the first Wi-Fi subsystem or the second Wi-Fi subsystem based on at least the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets and the performance levels associated with the first and second Wi-Fi subsystems; and

utilize the selected Wi-Fi subsystem to transmit the one or more forward packets.

14. The apparatus recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

reserve the first Wi-Fi subsystem having the higher performance level to forward traffic that has one or more performance requirements that cannot be satisfied using a wireless technology associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

15. The apparatus recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

send one or more call-ahead signals to a connection manager configured to control the first Wi-Fi subsystem and the second Wi-Fi subsystem, wherein the one or more call-ahead signals instruct the connection manager to activate the selected Wi-Fi subsystem; and

perform a service negotiation with a sink device intended to receive the one or more forward packets, wherein the service negotiation instructs the sink device to activate a physical transceiver that implements a wireless technology corresponding to the selected Wi-Fi subsystem used to transmit the one or more forward packets.

16. The apparatus recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

divide a size associated with each forward packet by a latency requirement associated with each forward packet, wherein the bandwidth requirement comprises a first value obtained from summing the size associated with each forward packet divided by the latency requirement associated with each forward packet; and

select the first Wi-Fi subsystem in response to the first value exceeding a second value obtained from dividing an average bandwidth associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem by an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

17. The apparatus recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine whether the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets exceeds a threshold value based on an average bandwidth and an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem; and

select the second Wi-Fi subsystem in response to determining that the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets does not exceed the threshold value and that a predicted time to transmit the one or more forward packets with the second Wi-Fi subsystem exceeds a minimum time-to-live among the one or more forward packets.

18. The apparatus recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

instruct the first Wi-Fi subsystem and the second Wi-Fi subsystem to enter a low power mode in response to determining that no additional forward packets are pending transmission subsequent to transmitting the one or more forward packets using the selected Wi-Fi subsystem.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

means for determining a relative bandwidth requirement associated with one or more forward packets to transmit from the apparatus, wherein the apparatus includes at least a first Wi-Fi subsystem and a second Wi-Fi subsystem having one or more transceivers, and wherein the first Wi-Fi subsystem has a higher performance level than the second Wi-Fi subsystem;

means for selecting either a first Wi-Fi subsystem or a second Wi-Fi subsystem based on at least the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets and the performance levels associated with the first and second Wi-Fi subsystems; and

means for transmitting the one or more forward packets using the selected Wi-Fi subsystem.

20. The apparatus recited in claim 19, further comprising:

means for reserving the first Wi-Fi subsystem having the higher performance level to forward traffic that has one or more performance requirements that cannot be satisfied using a wireless technology associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

21. The apparatus recited in claim 19, further comprising:

means for sending one or more call-ahead signals to a connection manager configured to control the first Wi-Fi subsystem and the second Wi-Fi subsystem, wherein the one or more call-ahead signals instruct the connection manager to activate the selected Wi-Fi subsystem; and

means for performing a service negotiation with a sink device intended to receive the one or more forward packets, wherein the service negotiation instructs the sink device to activate a physical transceiver that implements a wireless technology corresponding to the selected Wi-Fi subsystem used to transmit the one or more forward packets.

22. The apparatus recited in claim 19, wherein the means for calculating the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets comprises:

means for dividing a size associated with each forward packet by a latency requirement associated with each forward packet, wherein the bandwidth requirement comprises a first value obtained from summing the size associated with each forward packet divided by the latency requirement associated with each forward packet; and

means for selecting the first Wi-Fi subsystem in response to the first value exceeding a second value obtained from dividing an average bandwidth associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem by an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

23. The apparatus recited in claim 19, wherein the means for selecting either the first Wi-Fi subsystem or the second Wi-Fi subsystem comprises:

means for determining whether the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets exceeds a threshold value based on an average bandwidth and an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem; and

means for selecting the second Wi-Fi subsystem in response to determining that the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets does not exceed the threshold value and that a predicted time to transmit the one or more forward packets with the second Wi-Fi subsystem exceeds a minimum time-to-live among the one or more forward packets.

24. The apparatus recited in claim 19, further comprising:

means for instructing the first Wi-Fi subsystem and the second Wi-Fi subsystem to enter a low power mode in response to determining that no additional forward packets are pending transmission from the apparatus subsequent to transmitting the one or more forward packets using the selected Wi-Fi subsystem.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions recorded thereon, wherein executing the computer-executable instructions on one or more processors causes the one or more processors to:

determine a relative bandwidth requirement associated with one or more forward packets to transmit from a source device that includes at least a first Wi-Fi subsystem and a second Wi-Fi subsystem having one or more transceivers, and wherein the first Wi-Fi subsystem has a higher performance level than the second Wi-Fi subsystem;

select either the first Wi-Fi subsystem or the second Wi-Fi subsystem based on at least the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets and the performance levels associated with the first and second Wi-Fi subsystems; and

transmit the one or more forward packets using the selected Wi-Fi subsystem.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 25, wherein executing the computer-executable instructions on the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to:

reserve the first Wi-Fi subsystem having the higher performance level to forward traffic that has one or more performance requirements that cannot be satisfied using a wireless technology associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 25, wherein executing the computer-executable instructions on the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to:

send one or more call-ahead signals to a connection manager configured to control the first Wi-Fi subsystem and the second Wi-Fi subsystem, wherein the one or more call-ahead signals instruct the connection manager to activate the selected Wi-Fi subsystem; and

perform a service negotiation with a sink device intended to receive the one or more forward packets, wherein the service negotiation instructs the sink device to activate a physical transceiver that implements a wireless technology corresponding to the selected Wi-Fi subsystem used to transmit the one or more forward packets.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 25, wherein executing the computer-executable instructions on the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to:

divide a size associated with each forward packet by a latency requirement associated with each forward packet, wherein the bandwidth requirement comprises a first value obtained from summing the size associated with each forward packet divided by the latency requirement associated with each forward packet; and

select the first Wi-Fi subsystem in response to the first value exceeding a second value obtained from dividing an average bandwidth associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem by an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 25, wherein executing the computer-executable instructions on the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to:

determine whether the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets exceeds a threshold value based on an average bandwidth and an average retransmission rate associated with the second Wi-Fi subsystem; and

select the second Wi-Fi subsystem in response to determining that the bandwidth requirement associated with the one or more forward packets does not exceed the threshold value and that a predicted time to transmit the one or more forward packets with the second Wi-Fi subsystem exceeds a minimum time-to-live among the one or more forward packets.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 25, wherein executing the computer-executable instructions on the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to:

instruct the first Wi-Fi subsystem and the second Wi-Fi subsystem to enter a low power mode in response to determining that no additional forward packets are pending transmission from the source device subsequent to transmitting the one or more forward packets using the selected Wi-Fi subsystem.