Method of and arrangement for minimizing power consumption and data latency of an electro-optical reader in a wireless network

• US 20030087681A1
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Cordes, Kevin, Sackett, William, Connolly, Sean, Levine, Adam, Shellhammer, Stephen, Boccuzzi, Frank, Biuso, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,047,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• 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

Battery power consumption and data transfer latency of an electro-optical reader in a wireless network are minimized by turning a radio off in a default state, and by turning the radio on only after the reader has generated data to be transferred along the network.

Claims

1. A method of minimizing power consumption of a battery-operated, wireless reader for electro-optically reading machine-readable indicia, and of minimizing latency of data generated by, and transferred from, the reader to a wireless data collection terminal remote from the reader, comprising the steps of:

a) incorporating a controller and a radio in each of the reader and the terminal;

b) operating the reader to read indicia in a reading mode in which data related to the indicia is generated;

c) commanding the radio in the reader by the controller in the reader to enter a low power mode when the reader is not in the reading mode, thereby minimizing power consumption of the reader, and to automatically enter a full power mode when the reader is in the reading mode and has generated the data; and

d) automatically transferring the data generated by the reader to the terminal after the radio has entered the full power mode, thereby minimizing data latency.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising the step of configuring each controller and radio as Bluetooth-compatible devices in compliance with Bluetooth standard, version 1.1.

3. The method of claim 2, and further comprising the step of operating the terminal as a master by periodically transmitting radio frequency signals from the terminal, and the step of operating the reader as a slave to establish a wireless network between the master and the slave as a piconet, and wherein the step of automatically transferring the data generated by the reader to the terminal after the radio has entered the full power mode is performed after receipt of one of the transmitted signals from the terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the commanding step is performed by instructing the controller in the reader to issue a host control interface (HCI) command to the radio in the reader.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the instructing step includes configuring the HCI command to maintain the low power mode for predetermined intervals of time.

6. The method of claim 3, and further comprising the step of acknowledging receipt of the data at the master, by sending an acknowledgment signal from the master to the slave, and by activating an indicator at the slave to alert an operator that the acknowledgment signal has been sent.

7. The method of claim 2, and further comprising the step of operating the terminal as a slave by listening for signals from the reader, and the step of operating the reader as a master by transmitting a radio frequency signal from the reader to the terminal to establish a wireless network between the master and the slave as a piconet, and wherein the step of transmitting the radio frequency signal from the reader is performed after the reader has generated the data and entered the full power mode and after the piconet has been established.

8. An arrangement for minimizing power consumption of a battery-operated, wireless reader for electro-optically reading machine-readable indicia, and for minimizing latency of data generated by, and transferred from, the reader to a wireless data collection terminal remote from the reader, comprising:

a) a controller and a radio in each of the reader and the terminal;

b) means for actuating the reader to read indicia in a reading mode in which data related to the indicia is generated;

c) means for commanding the radio in the reader by the controller in the reader to enter a low power mode when the reader is not in the reading mode, thereby minimizing power consumption of the reader, and to automatically enter a full power mode when the reader is in the reading mode and has generated the data; and

d) means for automatically transferring the data generated by the reader to the terminal after the radio has entered the full power mode, thereby minimizing data latency.

9. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein each controller and radio is configured as Bluetooth-compatible devices in compliance with Bluetooth standard, version 1.1.

10. The arrangement of claim 9, wherein the terminal is operated as a master by periodically transmitting radio frequency signals, and wherein the reader is operated as a slave to establish a wireless network between the master and the slave as a piconet, and wherein the transferring means is operative after receipt of one of the transmitted signals by the terminal.

11. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein the controller in the reader includes means for issuing a host control interface (HCI) command to the radio in the reader.

12. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein the HCI command includes configuration information to maintain the low power mode for predetermined intervals of time.

13. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein the controller in the reader sends an acknowledgment signal to the terminal to signify receipt of the data at the master, and wherein the terminal has an indicator to alert an operator that the acknowledgment signal has been sent.

14. The arrangement of claim 9, wherein the terminal is operated as a slave by listening for a signal from the reader, and wherein the reader is operated as a master by transmitting a radio frequency signal from the reader to the terminal to establish a wireless network between the master and the slave as a piconet, and wherein the radio frequency signal is transmitted by the reader after the reader has generated the data and entered the full power mode and after the piconet has been established.

15. A method of minimizing power consumption of a battery-operated, wireless reader for electro-optically reading machine-readable indicia, and of minimizing latency of data generated by, and transferred from, the reader to a wireless data collection terminal remote from the reader, the method comprising the steps of:

a) establishing a wireless network between the reader and the terminal by incorporating a controller and a radio in each of the reader and the terminal;

b) operating the terminal as a master by periodically transmitting radio frequency signals from the terminal and listening for radio frequency responses;

c) operating the reader to read indicia in a reading mode in which data related to the indicia is generated;

d) commanding the radio in the reader by the controller in the reader to enter a low power mode when the reader is not in the reading mode, thereby minimizing power consumption of the reader, and to automatically enter a full power mode when the reader is in the reading mode and has generated the data; and

e) operating the reader as a slave by receiving the signals transmitted by the master, and by automatically transferring the data generated by the reader to the master after receipt of one of the transmitted signals and after the radio has entered the full power mode, thereby minimizing data latency.

16. The method of claim 15, and the step of configuring each controller and radio as a Bluetooth-compatible device in compliance with Bluetooth standard, version 1.1