Configurable communication modules for flexible communications within an energy-limited wireless system

• US 9,801,126 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kennedy, Irwin, Huang, Howard, Lin, Chih-Kuang, Venkateswaran, Vijay
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, DHARMESH J
• Application Number:
  US14/526,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0221 power availability or consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A capability for flexible communications within an energy-limited wireless system is presented. An energy-limited wireless node includes a communication module configured to switch between a sleep mode in which the communication module is not operable to communicate and an active mode in which the communication module is operable to communicate, a configurable auxiliary receiver configured to initiate switching of the communication module from the sleep mode to the active mode based on detection of a wake-up signal, and a controller configured to control configuration of the configurable auxiliary receiver to operate using an auxiliary receiver configuration. A controller includes a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor wherein the processor is configured to determine a configuration for a configurable auxiliary communication module of an energy-limited wireless node, and propagate, toward the energy-limited wireless node, an indication of the configuration for the configurable auxiliary communication module of the energy-limited wireless node.

Claims

1. An energy-limited wireless node, comprising:

a communication module configured to switch between a sleep mode in which the communication module is not operable to communicate and an active mode in which the communication module is operable to communicate;

a configurable auxiliary receiver configured to initiate switching of the communication module from the sleep mode to the active mode based on detection of a wake-up signal, wherein the configurable auxiliary receiver comprises a low noise amplifier (LNA) configured to amplify a signal received at the configurable auxiliary receiver, a detector configured to estimate an encoded signal received at the configurable auxiliary receiver, and a decoder configured to decode the encoded signal received at the configurable auxiliary receiver; and

a controller configured to control configuration of the configurable auxiliary receiver to operate using an auxiliary receiver configuration, wherein the auxiliary receiver configuration comprises at least one of a configuration indication for the LNA or an indication of a detection and decoding algorithm for the detector and the decoder, wherein, to control configuration of the configurable auxiliary receiver to operate using the auxiliary receiver configuration, the controller is configured to receive configuration information indicative of the auxiliary receiver configuration for the configurable auxiliary receiver and provide configuration control information for configuring the configurable auxiliary receiver to operate using the auxiliary receiver configuration.

2. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary receiver configuration is determined based on information indicative of a channel gain of the energy-limited wireless node or information indicative of a channel condition of the energy-limited wireless node.

3. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary receiver configuration is determined based on a transmitter configuration of a transmitter configured to transmit the wake-up signal to the configurable auxiliary receiver.

4. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary receiver configuration is determined based on at least one of:

a link-level performance objective for a wireless link between the configurable auxiliary receiver and a transmitter configured to transmit the wake-up signal to the configurable auxiliary receiver;

or

a network performance objective of a wireless network with which the energy-limited wireless node is associated.

5. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary receiver configuration comprises an indication of a receive power to be used by the configurable auxiliary receiver.

6. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the configuration indication for the LNA comprises at least one of:

an indication of a power level for the LNA;

or

an indication as to whether the LNA is to be used.

7. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the configurable auxiliary receiver further comprises:

a switch block configured to control whether or not the LNA is used for handling a signal received at the configurable auxiliary receiver.

8. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the configurable auxiliary receiver comprises:

a switch block configured to control whether or not the detector is used for handling a signal received at the configurable auxiliary receiver.

9. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control configuration of the configurable auxiliary receiver, to operate using the auxiliary receiver configuration, based on detection of a trigger condition.

10. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 9, wherein the trigger condition comprises at least one of expiration of a timer, a sensed event, a topology change, or receipt of a message.

11. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 9, wherein the trigger condition comprises receipt of a message from a network controller configured to determine the auxiliary receiver configuration for the configurable auxiliary receiver of the energy-limited wireless node.

12. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control configuration of the configurable auxiliary receiver, to operate using the auxiliary receiver configuration, based on information received from a network controller.

13. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 12, wherein the information received from the network controller comprises at least one of an indication of the auxiliary receiver configuration or information describing the auxiliary receiver configuration.

14. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control configuration of the configurable auxiliary receiver, to operate using the auxiliary receiver configuration, by selecting the auxiliary receiver configuration from a set of auxiliary receiver configurations.

15. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to detect receipt of a wake-up signal via the configurable auxiliary receiver and to control transmission of the wake-up signal toward a second energy-limited wireless node.

16. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to control transmission of the wake-up signal toward the second energy-limited wireless node via the communication module or via an auxiliary transmitter.

17. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the communication module comprises at least one of a receiver or a transmitter.

18. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, wherein the configurable auxiliary receiver and the communication module are part of a combined communication module.

19. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 1, further comprising:

a configurable auxiliary transmitter, wherein the controller is configured to control configuration of the configurable auxiliary transmitter to operate using an auxiliary transmitter configuration.

20. The energy-limited wireless node of claim 19, wherein the auxiliary transmitter configuration comprises at least one of an indication of a transmit power to be used by the configurable auxiliary transmitter or an indication of a signal encoding type to be used by the configurable auxiliary transmitter.