WO2007139863A2 - Détection de réseau sans fil à faible consommation d'énergie - Google Patents

Détection de réseau sans fil à faible consommation d'énergie Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007139863A2
WO2007139863A2 PCT/US2007/012349 US2007012349W WO2007139863A2 WO 2007139863 A2 WO2007139863 A2 WO 2007139863A2 US 2007012349 W US2007012349 W US 2007012349W WO 2007139863 A2 WO2007139863 A2 WO 2007139863A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
beacon
primary data
protocol
circuitry
signal
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2007/012349
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2007139863A3 (fr
Inventor
Jesse Lee Dorogusker
Anthony Fadell
Robert Edward Borchers
Original Assignee
Apple Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Apple Inc. filed Critical Apple Inc.
Priority to GB0821252A priority Critical patent/GB2452428B/en
Priority to CN200780018455.4A priority patent/CN101449619B/zh
Priority to AU2007267943A priority patent/AU2007267943B2/en
Publication of WO2007139863A2 publication Critical patent/WO2007139863A2/fr
Publication of WO2007139863A3 publication Critical patent/WO2007139863A3/fr
Priority to HK09105301.4A priority patent/HK1126595A1/xx

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W52/00—Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes
    • H04W52/02—Power saving arrangements
    • H04W52/0209—Power saving arrangements in terminal devices
    • H04W52/0212—Power saving arrangements in terminal devices managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
    • H04W52/0216—Power saving arrangements in terminal devices managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W52/00—Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes
    • H04W52/02—Power saving arrangements
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W92/00—Interfaces specially adapted for wireless communication networks
    • H04W92/16—Interfaces between hierarchically similar devices
    • H04W92/18—Interfaces between hierarchically similar devices between terminal devices
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W48/00—Access restriction; Network selection; Access point selection
    • H04W48/08—Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery
    • H04W48/12—Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery using downlink control channel
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W76/00—Connection management
    • H04W76/10—Connection setup
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W84/00—Network topologies
    • H04W84/18—Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02D—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
    • Y02D30/00—Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
    • Y02D30/70—Reducing energy consumption in communication networks in wireless communication networks

Definitions

  • the present invention can relate to systems and methods for power efficient detection of wireless networks by electronic devices.
  • Portable electronic devices such as laptop computers, wireless and cellular telephones, digital media players (e.g., music players and video players), and hybrid devices that combine telephone and media playing functionalities are known. These devices are typically configured to provide communications to a user in one or more modes. For example, a laptop computer may be configured to communicate wirelessly in accordance with various protocol standards, such as cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth®.
  • some known electronic devices are equipped with receivers, transmitters, and/or transceivers for detecting a wireless network and communicating with other electronic devices in the detected network.
  • a user must manually turn on the receiver or transceiver of the device when he or she wishes to • detect a valid network for wireless communication.
  • this is not convenient for the user.
  • a user must constantly keep the receiver or transceiver of the device turned on when he or she wishes for the device to automatically detect a valid network for wireless communication.
  • this causes the device to consume a significant amount of power (e.g., battery power of a portable electronic device) .
  • power e.g., battery power of a portable electronic device
  • a method of operating a first device to wirelessly interoperate with a second device includes transmitting a beacon signal from the second device according to a beacon protocol and sniffing for the beacon signal with the first device according to the beacon protocol. The method also includes processing the sniffed beacon signal with the first device and, based on the processed beacon signal, enabling the first device to communicate with the second device according to a normal protocol .
  • transmitting the beacon signal may include transmitting the beacon signal via a one-way beacon- band link.
  • the sniffing for the beacon signal may include sniffing for the beacon signal on a one-way beacon-band link.
  • FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an electronic device in accordance with the principles of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is an exemplary wireless network system that includes a first electronic device and a second electronic device in accordance with the principles of .the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram of the contents of a beacon signal that may be used by the system of FIG. 2 in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is an illustrative flowchart showing various steps of a power efficient wireless communication scheme in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • a method of operating a first electronic device to interoperate with a second electronic device may include the first device sniffing on a one-way communication link for a beacon signal transmitted from the second device, the first device processing the beacon signal, and based on the beacon signal,- the first device enabling normal communication with the second device via a main-band communication link.
  • the one-way communication link may be utilized to communicate beacon signals transmitted from a second electronic device to a first electronic device that may have a lower or limited power supply compared to that of the second electronic device.
  • the first electronic device may automatically, or at the discretion of its user, enable normal communication with the second electronic device via a main-band communication link.
  • the first electronic device may require more power for normal communication than that for beacon sniffing. Circuitry required for the higher-power normal communication may be turned off when not being used for normal communication.
  • FIG. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of an illustrative electronic device 1 that may be used in accordance with the invention.
  • Electronic device 1 may be any electronic device, such as, but not limited to, music players, video players, still image players, game players, other media players, music recorders, video recorders, cameras, other media recorders, radios, medical equipment, calculators, cellular telephones, other wireless communication devices, personal digital assistants, remote controls, pagers, laptop computers, printers, or combinations thereof. In some cases, the electronic device may perform a single function
  • electronic device 1 must be capable of communicating wirelessly in accordance with one or more wireless protocol .
  • electronic device 1 may generally be any portable, mobile, hand-held, or miniature electronic device capable of communicating wirelessly in accordance with one or more wireless protocol so as to allow a user to communicate wirelessly, listen to music, play games, record videos, take pictures, and/or conduct telephone calls, for example, wherever the user travels.
  • Miniature personal electronic devices may have a form factor that is smaller than that of hand-held personal electronic devices, such as an iPodTM available by Apple Inc. of
  • Electronic device 1 may include an application circuitry portion 15 and a carrier circuitry portion 25.
  • Application circuitry portion 15 may include processor 2, storage device 4, user interface 6, display 10, coder/decoder (CODEC) 12, and memory 20.
  • Carrier circuitry portion 25 may include communications circuitry 22.
  • Electronic device 1 may also include bus 18 for coupling the elements of device 1.
  • CODEC 12 may be a single CODEC that can be stored permanently on electronic device 1, or it can include multiple CODECs. CODEC 12 may be included, for example, to co.nvert digital audio signals into an analog signal, which may be provided to an output port (not shown) of the device.
  • CODEC 12 is intended to represent the specific encoder that is required to perform whatever function electronic device 1 is being tasked to perform. For example, if electronic device 1 is being tasked to playback music files that have been compressed and stored using the AC3 CODEC, then CODEC 12 needs to be the AC3 CODEC in order for electronic device 1 to properly decompress and playback the music file.
  • Processor 2 can control the operation of many functions and other circuitry included in electronic device 1.
  • Processor 2 may drive display 10 and may receive user inputs from user interface 6.
  • Display 10 may be any suitable display for displaying media, including graphics, text, and video.
  • display 10 may be a touch screen display or an LCD.
  • User interface 6 may allow a user to interact with electronic device 1.
  • the device for user input 6 can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, click wheel, or touch screen.
  • Storage device 4 may store media (e.g., music and video files), software (e.g., for implementing functions on device 1) , preference information (e.g., media playback preferences), lifestyle information (e.g., food preferences), exercise information (e.g., information obtained by exercise monitoring equipment) , transaction information (e.g., information such as credit card information), wireless connection information (e.g., information that may enable the device to establish a wireless connection such as a telephone connection) , subscription information (e.g., information that keeps tracks of podcasts, television shows, or other media a user subscribes to) , telephone information
  • media e.g., music and video files
  • software e.g., for implementing functions on device 1
  • preference information e.g., media playback preferences
  • lifestyle information e.g., food preferences
  • exercise information e.g., information obtained by exercise monitoring equipment
  • transaction information e.g., information such as credit card information
  • wireless connection information e.g., information that may enable
  • Storage device 4 may include one more storage mediums, including, for example, a hard-drive, permanent memory such as ROM, semi-permanent memory such as RAM, or cache.
  • Memory 20 may include one or more different types of memory that may be used for performing device functions.
  • memory 20 may include cache, Flash, ROM, and/or RAM.
  • Memory 20 may be specifically dedicated to storing firmware.
  • memory 20 may be provided for storing firmware for device applications (e.g., operating system functions, user interface functions, and processor functions) .
  • Communications circuitry 22 may be included in carrier circuitry portion 25 of device 1.
  • the circuitry of carrier circuitry portion 25 may be dedicated primarily to processing telephone functions or any other wireless communications capabilities of the device (e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) . It is to be understood that the carrier circuitry portion may operate independently of other device components operating in device 1.
  • carrier circuitry portion 25 may be an independently operating subsystem within device 1 that may communicate with other electronic devices as well as other components within device 1.
  • Communications circuitry 22 may include circuitry for wireless communication (e.g., short-range and/or long range communication) .
  • the wireless communication circuitry may be Wi-Fi enabling circuitry that permits wireless communication according to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards or a private network.
  • Other wireless network protocol standards such as cellular or Bluetooth could also be used, either in alternative to the identified protocols or in addition to the identified protocols.
  • Bus 18 may provide a data transfer path for transferring data to, from, or between the circuitry of carrier circuitry portion 25, storage device 4, memory 20, processor 2, and CODEC 12, and any other circuitry of device 1.
  • electronic device 1 may be a portable electronic device dedicated to processing media, such as audio and video.
  • device 1 may be a media player (e.g., MP3 player), a game player, a remote controller, a portable communication device, a remote ordering interface, an audio tour player, or any other suitable personal device.
  • electronic device 1 may be a portable device dedicated to providing media processing and telephone functionality in a single integrated unit .
  • Device 1 may be battery-operated and highly portable so as to allow a user to listen to music, play games or video, record video or take pictures, place and take telephone calls, communicate with others, control other devices, and any combination thereof, for example.
  • device 1 may be sized such that it fits relatively easily into a pocket or hand of the user. By being handheld, device 1 may be relatively small and easily handled and utilized by its user and thus may be taken practically anywhere the user travels.
  • electronic device 1 may be a device that is generally not portable and that may be powered by wall power (i.e., domestic or line power), such as a desktop computer or an electronic device of a cellular communications tower.
  • Application circuitry portion 15 may include all other circuitry not specifically reserved for carrier portion 25.
  • memory 20 may provide content (e.g., instructions) to processor 2 that may enable processor 2 to execute functions of device 1.
  • memory 20 may "engage” or “prep” processor 2 by providing it with data to perform one or more functions when device 1 switches from a beacon sniffing mode to a normal communications mode (discussed in more detail below) .
  • Memory 20 may be referred to herein as processor engagement circuitry.
  • processor engagement circuitry For example, when device 1 is operating in a beacon sniffing mode, memory 20 may store data that may be used to "engage" processor 2 so it knows, for example, a status of device 1 and operates accordingly.
  • processor 2 and memory 20 may be integrated into a single package. For example, package-on-package technology may be used to provide an integrated processor and memory package. In either case, memory 20 may also be the location in which CODEC 12 is stored.
  • the application circuitry portion (e.g., application portion 15) and the carrier circuitry portion (e.g., carrier portion 25) of the electronic device may each operate in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • carrier portion 25 may, as described in more detail below, begin wireless communications in a beacon sniffing mode by attempting to receive any beacon signals that may be detected. Other electronic devices may transmit beacon signals.
  • application portion 15 may then direct carrier portion 25 to enable and possibly begin a dialog using a normal communication protocol with the other electronic device that transmitted the received beacon signal .
  • FIG. 2 shows an illustration of the present invention in a wireless network system 200, which may include first electronic device 101 and second electronic device 201.
  • each of first device 101 and second device 201 may be any type of electronic device capable of wireless communication, and that each of first device 101 and second device 201 may be portable and powered by battery power or may be somewhat constrained to a particular location and powered by wall power.
  • first device 101 may be a portable electronic device, such as an iPodTM available by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, that may be powered by a battery with a limited supply of power
  • second electronic device 201 may be a desktop computer, a base station, a wireless hub or router, or any other type of computing device that may typically obtain power via a power plug plugged into a wall socket or via some other high capacity power supply.
  • Each of devices 101 and 201 may include circuitry similar to the circuitry described with respect to device 1 of FIG. 1 that may enable each device to communicate with the other device in network 200 wirelessly using at least one protocol.
  • first device 101 may include application circuitry portion 115 coupled to carrier circuitry portion 125 via bus 118
  • second device 201 may include application circuitry portion 215 coupled to carrier circuitry portion 225 via bus 218.
  • first device 101 and second device 201 may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly using a normal- higher-power communication protocol via a main-band communication link
  • second device 201 may also be configured to repeatedly transmit a beacon signal via the same main-band or via an out-of-band communication link and first device 101 may also be configured to periodically power up certain communications circuitry that may receive the beacon signal and therefore detect the presence of second device 201.
  • carrier circuitry portion 125 of first device 101 may include primary communication circuitry 127 and carrier circuitry portion 225 of second device 201 may include primary communication circuitry 227.
  • Primary communication circuitry 127 and primary communication circuitry 227 may be configured to wirelessly communicate primary communication data signals 297 with each other via a main-band communication link 197 using a normal communication protocol, such as cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, for example.
  • a normal communication protocol such as cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth
  • One or both of primary communication circuitry 127 and primary communication circuitry 227 may be designed to transmit and/or receive primary communication data signals 297 ⁇ i.e., electromagnetic waves) for wireless communication.
  • the primary communication circuitry may include a transceiver capable of both transmitting and receiving data signals 297.
  • the primary communication .circuitry may include both a pure transmitter capable of transmitting data signals 297 and a pure receiver capable of receiving data signals 297.
  • the primary communication circuitry may include either a pure transmitter or a pure receiver and may therefore only be capable of either transmitting data signals 297 or receiving data signals 297. Therefore, main-band communication link 197 may either be a one-way communication link or a two-way communication link depending on the type of transmitter, receiver, and/or transceiver circuitry provided in each of primary communication circuitry 127 and primary communication circuitry 227.
  • Carrier circuitry portion 225 of second device 201 may also include beacon transmission circuitry 229 that may be configured to wirelessly transmit beacon signals 299 into space via a one-way beacon-band, communication link 199 using a beacon communication protocol.
  • beacon transmission circuitry 229 may include a transceiver capable of both transmitting beacon signals 299 and receiving various other types of signal .
  • beacon transmission circuitry 229 may include a pure transmitter that is capable of transmitting beacon signals 299 but that is not able to receive any signals.
  • beacon transmission circuitry 229 may share the transceiver or transmitter of primary communication circuitry 227 in order to reduce the amount of circuitry required on device 201.
  • carrier circuitry portion 125 of first device 101 may also include "sniffing" or beacon reception circuitry 139 that may be configured to turn on (i.e., power up) and receive any beacon signals 299 that may be available on one-way beacon- band communication link 199 using a beacon communication protocol.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may include a transceiver capable of both receiving beacon signals 299 and transmitting various other types of signal.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may include a pure receiver that is capable of receiving beacon signals 299 but that is not able to transmit any signals.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may share the transceiver or receiver of primary communication circuitry 127 in order to reduce the amount of circuitry required on device 101. Utilization of a pure receiver may reduce the power consumed by beacon reception circuitry 139 while attempting to receive beacon signals 299 as compared to beacon reception circuitry that utilizes a transceiver.
  • Beacon transmission circuitry 229 may be provided in carrier circuitry portion 225 of second electronic device 201 as hardware, software, or a mix of hardware and software, for example, such that it is capable of wirelessly transmitting beacon signals 299, either on its own or by sharing a transmitter or transceiver of circuitry 227.
  • beacon transmission circuitry 229 may be configured to be constantly turned on (i.e., powered up) and may repeatedly transmit a beacon signal 299 at regular intervals into space via one-way beacon-band communication link 199 using a beacon communication protocol.
  • beacon transmission circuitry 229 may be configured to periodically turn on (i.e., power up) and transmit a beacon signal 299 before turning off and waiting a certain period of time before repeating the process of powering up and transmitting another beacon signal 299. This may be particularly beneficial when second electronic device 201 is a battery-powered device or when it is desired to reduce the power consumption of the device.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may be provided in carrier circuitry portion 125 of first electronic device 101 as hardware, software, or a mix of hardware and software, for example, such that it is capable of wirelessly receiving beacon signals 299, either on its own or by sharing a receiver or transceiver of circuitry 127.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may be configured to be constantly powered up and may repeatedly attempt at regular intervals to receive any beacon signals 299 that may be available on one-way beacon-band communication link 199 using a beacon communication protocol.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may be configured to periodically turn on and attempt to receive a beacon signal 299 before turning off and waiting a certain period of time before repeating the process of powering up and attempting to receive a beacon signal 299. This may be particularly beneficial when first electronic device 101 is a battery-powered device or when it is desired to reduce the power consumption of the device. [0040] The duration of each beacon signal 299, the interval between transmissions of beacon signals 299 by transmission circuitry 229, and the interval between attempts to receive beacon signals 299 by reception circuitry 139 may each be specifically related to one another within a particular beacon communication protocol.
  • beacon receiving first device 101 and beacon transmitting second device 201 may each use a beacon communication protocol that guarantees the success of the first attempt to receive a transmitted beacon signal 299 once distance D is short enough to allow for the propagation of a beacon signal 299 thereacross.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the contents of a beacon signal sent by a second device to a first device using a beacon communication protocol in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • a beacon signal 399 which may be similar to beacon signal 299 of FIG. 2, may include an identification information portion 392 and a configuration information portion 394.
  • Identification portion 392 may include information that can be used by beacon reception circuitry (e.g., reception circuitry 139 of first device 101) to identify what specific type of electronic device transmitted the beacon signal (e.g., second device 201) .
  • identification information portion 392 may indicate that the device that transmitted the beacon has a specific identification number assigned thereto and may communicate with other devices using certain types of normal communication protocols (e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth) .
  • Configuration portion 394 may include information that can be used by beacon reception circuitry to identify the specific configuration of the electronic device that transmitted the beacon signal.
  • configuration information portion 394 may indicate that the device that transmitted the beacon has recently been updated with new features or information that may be valuable to the device that received the beacon.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 of first electronic device 101 may activate its primary communication circuitry 127.
  • primary communication circuitry 127 When primary communication circuitry 127 is activated, wireless communication of primary communication data signals 297 between primary communication circuitry 127 and primary communication circuitry 227 of second device 201 may be enabled via main-band communication link. 197 using a normal communication protocol .
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may cause a main-band activation signal 128 to be provided to primary communication circuitry 127.
  • Main-band activation signal 128 may activate primary communication circuitry 127 and enable wireless communication of primary communication data signals 297 between primary communication circuitry 127 and primary communication circuitry 227. For example, once beacon reception circuitry 139 successfully receives any beacon signal 299, beacon reception circuitry 139 may automatically cause main-band activation signal 128 to be provided to primary communication circuitry 127 for activating primary communication circuitry 127 and enabling wireless communication of primary communication data signals 297 between devices 101 and 201.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may compare specific information contained in t ⁇ ie beacon signal regarding the device that transmitted the beacon signal (e.g., information portions 392 and 394 of FIG. 3) with various settings or data contained in beacon reception circuitry 139 or elsewhere in first electronic device 101.
  • the decision to provide main- band activation signal 128 for activating primary communication circuitry 127 may have a complex set of selected heuristics that maximize the power usage (e.g., the battery life) of the first device by limiting the number of situations in which primary communication circuitry 127 should be activated for enabling communication with another device using a normal communication protocol.
  • the user of device 101 may program or load its device with data related to the specific types of other devices with which he or she would like to enable wireless communication of primary communication data signals.
  • a user may store data in a storage device (e.g., storage 4 of FIG. 1) indicative of the user's preference to activate its electronic device's primary communication circuitry and enable wireless communication of primary communication data signals with another device only if that other device has been updated in the last 3 hours.
  • the user's device 101 would compare the configuration information of the beacon signal 299 received from another device (e.g., device 201) with the user's preference information and determine whether or not the other device meets the user's specifications for activating his or her electronic device's primary communication circuitry for enabling wireless communication of primary communication data signals with the other device .
  • another device e.g., device 201
  • first device 101 may display specific information contained in the beacon signal regarding the device that transmitted the beacon signal (e.g., information portions 392 and 394 of FIG. 3) to the user of first device 101 (e.g., via display 10 of FIG. 1) .
  • the user of first device 101 may then consider this received data regarding the detected device (e.g., second device 201) and determine whether or not to enable his or her device to engage in wireless communication of primary communication data signals with the detected device. Once the user has made that determination, he or she may input that information into device 101 (e.g., via user interface 6 of FIG.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may be turned off to reduce the power consumed by device 101.
  • primary communication circuitry 127 may provide a beacon deactivation signal 138 to beacon reception circuitry 139 for deactivating beacon reception circuitry 139 until primary communication circuitry 127 has finished communication with primary communication circuitry 227.
  • beacon reception circuitry 139 may continue to attempt to receive additional beacon signals while primary communication circuitry 127 is activated and communicating with another primary communication circuitry.
  • primary communication circuitry 127 of first electronic device 101 has been turned on or enabled in response to main-band activation signal 128, primary communication circuitry 127 may automatically send communication data 297 over link 197 to second device 201 for initiating communication using a normal communication protocol.
  • primary communication circuitry 227 of second device 201 may be configured to always be on or to repeatedly power up for certain intervals in order to wait and receive communication data 297 over link 197 from device 101.
  • primary communication circuitry 127 of first electronic device 101 may automatically begin to attempt to receive communication data 297 over link 197 in accordance with a normal communication protocol.
  • primary communication circuitry 227 of second device 201 may be configured to always be on or to repeatedly power up for certain intervals in order to transmit communication data 297 over link 197 to first device 101.
  • primary communication circuitry 127 may be communicating data signals 297 at the same time as beacon reception circuitry 139 is attempting to receive beacon signals 199.
  • primary communication circuitry 227 may be communicating data signals 297 at the same time as beacon transmission circuitry 229 is transmitting beacon signals 199.
  • primary communication circuitry 127 and primary communication circuitry 227 may be designed to transmit and/or receive primary communication data signals 297 for wireless communication.
  • the primary communication circuitry may include a transceiver capable of both transmitting and receiving data signals 297.
  • the primary communication circuitry may include both a pure transmitter capable of transmitting data signals 297 and a pure receiver capable of receiving data signals 297.
  • the primary communication circuitry may include either a pure transmitter or a pure receiver and may therefore only be capable of either transmitting data signals 297 or receiving data signals 297 from another device.
  • main-band communication link 197 used by primary communication circuitries 127 and 227 may be a one-way main-band communication link between a pure transmitter and a pure receiver.
  • Beacon signals 299 may be transmitted by beacon transmission circuitry 229 and received by beacon reception circuitry 139 via one-way beacon-band communication link 199 using a beacon communication protocol that may be any communication protocol .
  • the beacon communication protocol may be the same protocol as, or at least in-band with, a normal communication protocol used by primary communication circuitries 127 and 227 via main-band communication link 197 (e.g., zigbee, wibree, cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth).
  • beacon signals 299 may be transmitted by beacon transmission circuitry 229 and received by beacon reception circuitry 139 using a beacon communication protocol that may be out-of-band from any normal communication protocol used by primary communication circuitries 127 and 227 via main-band communication link 197.
  • the beacon communication protocol used to communicate beacons signals 299 between beacon transmission circuitry 229 and beacon reception circuitry 139 may be at a lower bandwidth and/or may require less power (e.g., zigbee or wibree) than that of a normal communication protocol (e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth) used to communicate data signals 297 between primary communication circuitry 127 and primary communication circuitry 227.
  • a normal communication protocol e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth
  • FIG. 4 is an illustrative flowchart showing various steps of a power efficient wireless communication scheme according to the invention.
  • a user of a first device may select an option that activates beacon reception circuitry. This selection by the user may cause, at step 412, the beacon reception circuitry of the first device to attempt to receive a beacon signal on a one-way beacon-band communication link using a beacon communication protocol.
  • the beacon reception circuitry of the first device receives a beacon signal transmitted from a second device using the beacon communication protocol at step 414.
  • a determination may be made by the first device at step 416 as to whether the first device has the capability or the desire to communicate with the detected second device using a normal communication protocol. If the first device does not have the capability or the desire to communicate with the detected second device using a normal communication protocol, the first device may return to attempting to receive beacon signals at step 412 via path 418. On the other hand, if the first device decides that it is capable and desirous of communicating with the detected second device using a normal communication protocol, control may pass via path 420 to step 422. In step 422, the first device may be enabled to communicate with the second device on a main-band communication link using a normal communication protocol .
  • step 424 in which the first device powers the beacon reception circuitry down to a STANDBY mode in which a minimum or zero amount of power may be consumed by the beacon reception circuitry once the first device is enabled to communicate with the second device using a normal communication protocol .
  • the first device or the second device could initiate communication with the other device using the normal communication protocol once the first device is enabled at step 422 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
  • each of the beacon communication protocol and normal communication protocol may be any communication protocol.
  • a beacon communication protocol may be a low power, low speed Bluetooth protocol
  • a normal communication protocol may be a high speed, high power Wi-Fi protocol.
  • the beacon and/or normal communication protocol could be any form of the IEEE 802.11 specification, including 802.11b, 802. Hg, or some other yet to be finalized version, such as 802. Hn.
  • the beacon communication protocol and normal communication protocol may be the same protocol in one embodiment .

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de réseau sans fil doté d'une liaison de communication unilatérale pour communiquer un signal de balise entre des circuits de balise de deux dispositifs électroniques. Selon les informations stockées dans le signal de balise, le dispositif qui reçoit ledit signal peut activer un circuit de communication principal pour permettre la communication de signaux de données de communication principale avec un circuit de communication principal du dispositif qui a émis le signal de balise. Les circuits de balise de deux dispositifs peuvent exiger moins d'énergie que les circuits de communication principaux de ces deux dispositifs.
PCT/US2007/012349 2006-05-22 2007-05-22 Détection de réseau sans fil à faible consommation d'énergie WO2007139863A2 (fr)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0821252A GB2452428B (en) 2006-05-22 2007-05-22 Power efficient wireless network detection
CN200780018455.4A CN101449619B (zh) 2006-05-22 2007-05-22 功率高效的无线网络检测
AU2007267943A AU2007267943B2 (en) 2006-05-22 2007-05-22 Power efficient wireless network detection
HK09105301.4A HK1126595A1 (en) 2006-05-22 2009-06-12 Power efficient wireless network detection

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CN101449619B (zh) 2015-05-13
GB2452428A (en) 2009-03-04
CN101449619A (zh) 2009-06-03
HK1126595A1 (en) 2009-09-04
GB0821252D0 (en) 2008-12-31
AU2007267943A1 (en) 2007-12-06
GB2452428B (en) 2011-02-23
WO2007139863A3 (fr) 2008-01-24
AU2007267943B2 (en) 2010-11-25

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