WIRELESS NETWORK WITH POWER AWARE TRANSMISSION CONTROL

• US 20130301453A1
• Filed: 05/10/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Xhafa, Ariton E., Choi, Soon-Hyeok, Sun, Yanjun, Estevez, Leonardo William
• Granted Patent: US 9,203,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0007 by modifying the frame length
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless device that tailors communications based on power parameters of the device. In one embodiment, a wireless device includes an energy source, a power monitor coupled to the energy source, a wireless transceiver, and a traffic controller coupled to the power monitor and the wireless transceiver. The power monitor is configured to measure a parameter of the energy source. The wireless transceiver is configured to wirelessly communicate via a wireless network. The traffic controller is configured to set length of packets to be transmitted based on the measured parameter of the energy source.

Claims

1. A wireless device, comprising:

an energy source;

a power monitor coupled to the energy source and configured to measure a parameter of the energy source;

a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate via a wireless network; and

a traffic controller coupled to the power monitor and the wireless transceiver;

wherein the traffic controller is configured to set length of packets to be transmitted based on the measured parameter of the energy source.

2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises at least one of measured output voltage of the energy source and measured energy capacity of the energy source.

3. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the transmission controller is configured to reduce the length of the packets to be transmitted as the value of the parameter decreases.

4. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the energy source is a coin cell battery.

5. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the traffic controller is configured to transmit, to a node of the wireless network, information indicative of a packet length for which the energy source provides sufficient power to enable reception of the packet without errors caused by reduction in output voltage of the energy source during the reception of the packet.

6. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the traffic controller comprises energy source output voltage information for a plurality of energy source conditions, and the traffic controller is configured to set the length of packets based on energy source output voltage information corresponding to the measured parameter of the energy source.

7. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the traffic controller is configured to space packet transmissions based on recovery time of the energy source.

8. A method, comprising:

measuring, by a wireless device, a parameter of an energy source powering the wireless device;

determining, by the wireless device, based on the measured parameter of the energy source, a length of a packet to be transmitted; and

transmitting, by the wireless device, the packet via a wireless network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein measuring the parameter comprises at least one of measuring output voltage of the energy source and measuring energy capacity of the energy source.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises reducing the length of the packets to be transmitted based on the value of the parameter having decreased relative to a prior measured value of the parameter.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a packet length for which the energy source provides sufficient power to enable reception of the packet without errors caused by reduction in output voltage of the energy source during the reception of the packet; and

transmitting information indicative of the packet length to a node of the wireless network.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising partitioning a data transmission into a number of packets, wherein the number of packets increases for a given data transmission length as the value of the parameter decreases.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising spacing packet transmissions based on recovery time of the energy source.

14. A wireless device, comprising:

an energy source;

a power monitor coupled to the energy source and configured to measure a parameter of the energy source;

a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate via a wireless network; and

a traffic controller coupled to the power monitor and the wireless transceiver;

wherein the traffic controller is configured to transmit, to a node of the wireless network, information indicative of a packet length for which the energy source provides sufficient power to enable reception of the packet without errors caused by reduction in output voltage of the energy source during the reception of the packet.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the traffic controller is configured to set a length of a packet to be transmitted based on the measured parameter.

16. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the parameter comprises at least one of measured output voltage of the energy source and measured energy capacity of the energy source.

17. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the transmission controller is configured to reduce the packet length as the value of the parameter decreases.

18. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the energy source is a coin cell battery.

19. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the traffic controller comprises energy source output voltage information for a plurality of energy source conditions, and the traffic controller is configured to set the packet length based on energy source output voltage information corresponding to the measured parameter of the energy source.

20. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the traffic controller is configured to space packet transmissions based on recovery time of the energy source.