Information transmission device, system, and method

• US 20090063879A1
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Yasutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A network includes nodes that transmit information to each other. Some nodes operate intermittently; other nodes operate continuously. Information is transmitted to an intermittently operating node by a handshaking protocol in which the intermittently operating node indicates that it is ready to receive. Information is transmitted to a continuously operating node without such handshaking, thereby saving time and power. Each transmitting node has a memory storing information indicating which other nodes require handshaking.

Claims

1. An information transmitting device for transmitting first information to one or more destination devices, the information transmitting device comprising:

a memory for storing second information indicating whether or not each destination device requires power-saving handshaking in order to receive the first information;

a control unit for selecting at least a power-saving transmission mode and a normal transmission mode according to the second information stored in the memory, the power-saving transmission mode including transmitting and receiving of power-saving handshaking signals, the normal transmission mode excluding the transmitting and the receiving of the power-saving handshaking signals; and

a communication unit for transmitting the first information in the mode selected by the control unit.

2. The information transmitting device of claim 1, wherein when the information transmitting device is ready to transmit the first information to one of the one or more destination devices:

in the power-saving transmission mode, before allowing the communication unit to transmit the first information, the control unit waits to receive a predetermined signal from the one of the one or more destination devices; and

in the normal transmission mode, the control unit has the communication unit transmit the first information immediately, without waiting to receive the predetermined signal.

3. The information transmitting device of claim 1, wherein the communication unit receives the second information indicating whether or not each destination device requires power-saving handshaking from said each destination device and the control unit stores the received second information in the memory.

4. The information transmitting device of claim 1, wherein the control unit has the communication unit transmit third information indicating whether or not the information transmitting device itself requires the power-saving handshaking in order to receive incoming transmissions of fourth information.

5. The information transmitting device of claim 4, wherein the control unit has the communication unit transmit, at periodic intervals, a signal including the third information and indicating that the information transmitting device is ready to receive the fourth information.

6. The information transmitting device of claim 5, wherein the periodic intervals are longer when the third information indicates that the information transmitting device does not require the power-saving handshaking than when the third information indicates that the information transmitting device requires the power-saving handshaking.

7. The information transmitting device of claim 4, wherein if the information transmitting device operates continuously, the third information indicates that the information transmitting device does not require the power-saving handshaking.

8. An information transmitting system comprising a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes including at least a first node that operates continuously, a second node that operates intermittently, and a third node that transmits at least first information to the first node and second information to the second node, wherein:

the first node is operable to receive the first information without power-saving handshaking and includes

a first control unit, and

a first communication unit controlled by the first control unit to receive the first information from the third node and transmit third information to the third node, the third information indicating that the second node does not require the power-saving handshaking;

the second node is operable to receive the second information with the power-saving handshaking and includes

a second control unit, and

a second communication unit controlled by the second control unit to receive the second information from the third node; and

the third node includes

a memory for storing information identifying nodes requiring the power-saving handshaking,

a third control unit for storing the third information in the memory, and

a third communication unit controlled by the third control unit according to the third information stored in the memory to transmit the second information preceded by power-saving handshaking signals to the second node and to transmit the first information without the power-saving handshaking signals to the first node.

9. The information transmitting system of claim 8, wherein the first node operates continuously and the second node operates intermittently.

10. The information transmitting system of claim 8, wherein the power-saving handshaking signals include a ready-to-receive signal transmitted from the second node to the third node to indicate that the second node is ready to receive the second information and an acknowledging signal transmitted from the third node to the second node to indicate that the ready-to-receive signal has been received and that the third node is about to transmit the second information.

11. The information transmitting system of claim 8, wherein the first control unit has the first communication unit transmit the third information at first periodic intervals and the second control unit has the second communication unit transmit the ready-to-receive signal at second periodic intervals.

12. The information transmitting system of claim 11, wherein the first periodic intervals are longer than the second periodic intervals.

13. A method of transmitting first information from an information transmitting device to a destination device, comprising:

obtaining second information indicating whether or not the destination device requires power-saving handshaking;

storing the second information in a memory in the information transmitting device;

selecting at least a power-saving transmission mode and a normal transmission mode according to the second information stored in the memory, the power-saving transmission mode including transmitting and receiving of power-saving handshaking signals, the normal transmission mode excluding the transmitting and the receiving of the power-saving handshaking signals; and

transmitting the first information in the selected mode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting the first information in the power-saving transmission mode comprises:

waiting to receive a predetermined signal;

transmitting an acknowledging signal after receiving the predetermined signal; and

transmitting the first information after transmitting the acknowledging signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the first information in the normal transmission mode comprises transmitting the first information without waiting to receive the predetermined signal and without transmitting the acknowledging signal.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the second information is included in the predetermined signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein if the destination device requires the power-saving handshaking the destination device transmits the predetermined signal at first periodic intervals.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein if the destination device does not require the power-saving handshaking the destination device transmits the predetermined signal at second periodic intervals, the second periodic intervals being longer than the first periodic intervals.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

if the destination device operates continuously, the predetermined signal transmitted by the destination device indicates that the power-saving handshaking is not required; and

if the destination device operates intermittently, the predetermined signal transmitted by the destination device indicates that the power-saving handshaking is required.