Methods for operating a wireless ecosystem

Abstract

A method for operating a wireless ecosystem involves connecting electronic devices, each containing a wireless communication module, to a wireless hub and querying the electronic devices with incremental variations of the wireless hub's transmission power to determine a reduced hub transmission power sufficient for communication with the multitude of electronic devices. The method also involves providing each of the electronic devices with an allocated wireless transmission power for communication with the wireless hub and transmitting the allocated wireless transmission power from the wireless hub to each of the electronic devices for communication with the wireless hub.

Description

introduction

[0001] Electronic devices, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, are becoming increasingly common in people's daily lives. In some cases, electronic devices communicate wirelessly via a network or a wireless connection, such as Bluetooth. The ability for electronic devices to communicate wirelessly allows them to be used in areas that may not have a dedicated wired network connection. Furthermore, the portability of wireless electronic devices has led to their incorporation of integrated power supplies, such as battery modules. The use of wireless connections with battery modules in electronic devices allows them to be carried freely without the need to locate a power source or connect additional wires to transmit information.

[0002] US Patent 2002 / 0022495A1 describes a device and method for implementing a protocol that optimizes transmit power in a network. The device and method execute a protocol that optimizes transmit power in the network for point-to-multipoint (1:N) communication. The device includes a communication unit for sending and receiving a data packet via radio and a control unit that outputs a control signal to regulate the transmit power according to the link information of the data packet received by the communication unit. The link information includes information about the received signal strength and / or link quality. Because the transmit power is adjustable, communication between the nodes of the network is conducted with reasonably minimal power consumption and adequate communication quality.

[0003] US 2004 / 0208154A1 describes a method for reconfiguring a network comprising multiple subnetworks, each containing at least one slave terminal wirelessly connected to a master terminal. First, each terminal detects a wirelessly connectable node. Next, detection information, including the results of these detections, is generated in the terminals. Based on this generated detection information, a master terminal is selected to minimize the total number of master terminals. Finally, a subnetwork is established that includes the selected master terminal. Description of the invention

[0004] The invention is defined by the claims.

[0005] According to the invention, a method for operating a wireless ecosystem is disclosed. The method includes connecting electronic devices, each comprising a wireless communication module, to a wireless hub and querying the electronic devices with incremental variations of the wireless hub's transmission power to determine a reduced hub transmission power sufficient for communication with the electronic devices. The method also includes providing each of the electronic devices with an allocated wireless transmission power for communication with the wireless hub and transmitting the allocated wireless transmission power from the wireless hub to each of the electronic devices for communication with the wireless hub.The plurality of electronic devices includes at least one electronic device powered by a battery. Furthermore, the plurality of electronic devices includes at least one electronic device configured to receive power from a wired power supply. The provision and transmission of the allocated wireless transmission power to each of the plurality of electronic devices is performed in such a way as to maximize the wireless transmission power of the at least one electronic device receiving power from a wired power supply and minimize the wireless transmission power of the at least one electronic device powered by a battery.The at least one electronic device, which receives power from a wired power supply, acts as an intermediary between the wireless hub and the at least one electronic device, which is powered by a battery supply, so that the at least one electronic device, which is powered by a battery supply, can be operated with a minimized wireless transmission power that would otherwise be insufficient for direct communication with the wireless hub.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the method involves determining whether any of the electronic devices operating with the allocated wireless transmission power are unable to communicate with the wireless hub, and transmitting a revised wireless transmission power to any of the electronic devices that are unable to communicate with the wireless hub using the allocated wireless transmission power.

[0007] According to another embodiment, the method involves monitoring at least one of the electronic devices for a power metric during an operating state and dynamically adjusting the allocated wireless transmission power based on comparing the power metric during the operating state with a predetermined threshold.

[0008] According to another embodiment, the operating state includes a telephone call and the performance metric includes audio quality.

[0009] According to another embodiment, the operating state includes audio streaming and the performance metric includes a measurement of clipped or buffered audio.

[0010] According to another embodiment, the operating state includes video streaming and the performance metric includes a measurement of clipped or buffered video.

[0011] According to another embodiment, the allocated wireless transmission power is determined based on at least one type of electronic device, a location of each of the electronic devices relative to the wireless hub, and a power source for each of the electronic devices.

[0012] According to another embodiment, the incremental variations involve reductions by a predetermined percentage of the wireless hub transmission power between the sequential queries of the electronic devices.

[0013] According to another embodiment, the reduced hub transmission power includes a prior incremental variation of the wireless hub transmission power, which resulted in an acknowledgment message from each of the electronic devices.

[0014] According to another embodiment, connecting the electronic devices to the wireless hub involves pairing the electronic devices with the wireless hub and collecting operating parameters for each of the electronic devices.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the invention, a wireless hub is disclosed. The wireless hub comprises a housing, a wireless communication module located within the housing, and a controller located within the housing and in electrical communication with the wireless communication module. The controller is configured to perform the method according to one of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0016] According to a third aspect of the invention, a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle comprises a body which at least partially defines a passenger compartment supported by wheels, and a wireless hub according to one of the embodiments described herein, which is located within the body. Brief description of the drawings

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are integrated into and form part of this specification, illustrate implementations of the revelation and, together with the description, explain the principles of the revelation. Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary vehicle integrating a wireless ecosystem according to this disclosure. Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the wireless ecosystem of Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary procedure for optimizing wireless power transmission in the wireless ecosystem of Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary procedure for adapting the wireless power transmission of the wireless ecosystem of Fig. 1 based on an operating state of at least one wireless electronic device in the wireless ecosystem. Detailed description

[0018] Experts in the field will recognize that terms such as "above", "below", "upwards", "downwards", "above", "below", "left", "right", etc. are used descriptively for the figures and do not represent limitations on the scope of disclosure as defined by the attached claims. Furthermore, the teachings herein may be described in terms of functional and / or logical block components and / or various processing steps.

[0019] The use of connected electronic devices, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, has become increasingly common. These devices have many uses, including communicating with other consumer devices or tracking objects, for example, in a warehouse. Because these devices can connect wirelessly with other devices, such as a wireless hub, they can be battery-powered.

[0020] However, wireless communication can quickly drain a battery. A key feature of this innovation is its ability to improve the battery life of connected devices while maintaining a high operational standard, allowing the connected device to function as intended.

[0021] Fig. Figure 1 illustrates a vehicle 10 that integrates a wireless mesh 38 according to a non-limiting example of this disclosure. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 10 includes a body 12 supported on wheels 16, one or more of which are steerable. The body 12 partially defines a passenger compartment 18 with seats 20 positioned behind an instrument panel 22. A steering control 24 is located between the seats 20 and the instrument panel 22. The steering control 24 is operated to control the orientation of the steerable wheel(s) 16.

[0022] The vehicle 10 includes an electric motor 26 connected to a gearbox 28, which supplies power to one or more of the wheels 16. A rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) 30 is located in the body 12 and supplies power to the electric motor 26. However, the location of the electric motor 26, the gearbox 28, and the RESS 30 relative to the body 12 can differ from those in Fig. 1 illustrated differ.

[0023] In the illustrated example, the wireless ecosystem 38 includes a hub 40 and several electronic devices 42, such as IoT devices, that communicate directly or indirectly with the hub 40 via a wireless connection, such as Bluetooth. In this disclosure, the electronic devices 42 can include mobile devices, tablets, computers, monitoring devices, location trackers, etc.

[0024] Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the wireless ecosystem 38 according to a non-limiting example of this disclosure. The wireless ecosystem 38 includes a wireless hub 40 configured to connect or pair with several electronic devices 42 in the wireless ecosystem 38. The wireless hub 40 includes an enclosure 41, a user interface 48, and a wireless communication module 44 in electrical communication with a controller 46, such as an electronic control unit (ECU), for carrying out the procedure 100 described below.

[0025] In this disclosure, the control unit 46 may be equipped with one or more processors (P), e.g., logic circuits, combinational logic circuit(s), application-specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC), electronic circuit(s), central processing unit(s), semiconductor IC devices, etc., as well as input / output (I / O) circuit(s), suitable signal conditioning and buffer circuits, and other components, such as a high-speed clock. The ECU also includes an associated non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium, i.e., memory (M), including read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, random-access memory, a hard disk, etc., whether resident, remote, or a combination of both.

[0026] Each of the electronic devices 42 includes a wireless communication module that communicates directly or indirectly with the hub 40. A first set of the electronic devices 42 is powered by a battery supply 43B, and a second set of the electronic devices 42 is powered by a wired power supply 43W, such as a power consumption found in a residential or commercial building. As discussed in more detail below, this disclosure seeks to extend the operating lifetime of the battery-powered electronic devices 42 43B by optimizing the wireless transmission power for these devices.

[0027] Fig. Figure 3 illustrates a method 100 for operating the wireless ecosystem 38 to maximize the battery life of the battery-powered electronic devices 42 43B. The method 100 begins at block 102 (“Connecting to the Hub”), where the electronic devices 42 are connected to the wireless hub 40. In one example, the electronic devices 42 are connected to the wireless hub 40 through a pairing process, such as a Bluetooth pairing process. The pairing process begins with the electronic devices 42 being placed in a discovery mode, and the wireless hub 40, in discovery mode, scans for nearby Bluetooth devices. Once the wireless hub 40 has identified the available electronic devices 42 to pair with, a user can select the desired electronic devices 42, for example, through the user interface 48 on the wireless hub 40.When the electronic devices are paired with the wireless hub 40, operating parameters, such as power source (wired vs. wireless), device purpose, and Bluetooth specifications of the electronic device 42, are transmitted to the wireless hub 40. This information can be stored in the memory M of the wireless hub 40.

[0028] Furthermore, once the wireless hub 40 is paired with each of the electronic devices 42, the method 100 optimizes the transmit power of the wireless hub 40. The transmit power of the wireless hub is optimized by querying the electronic devices 42 with incremental variations or reduced transmit power of the wireless hub until a wireless hub transmit power is reached at which the wireless hub is unable to communicate with any of the electronic devices 42. The method 100 can then select the previous transmit power of the wireless hub that enabled each of the electronic devices 42 to communicate with the wireless hub 40. In one example, the incremental variation involves sequential querying with a reduced transmit power that is a predetermined percentage, such as 50 percent.One feature of optimizing the wireless hub's transmit power is to reduce interference caused by transmitting wireless signals from the wireless hub 40 over a distance greater than necessary to communicate with each of the electronic devices 42. Once the electronic devices 42 are paired and the hub's transmit power is optimized, procedure 100 proceeds to block 104.

[0029] In Block 104 (“Assign Transmit Power”), the wireless hub 40 determines a wireless transmit power to be assigned to each of the electronic devices 42 in the wireless ecosystem 38. The assigned wireless transmit power to each of the electronic devices 42 is determined based on several different parameters, such as at least one of the device type, whether the device is battery-powered or directly wired to a power supply, or the device's location relative to the wireless hub 40. Furthermore, the assigned wireless transmit power can be determined based on battery capacity or the ease of battery replacement or charging.In one example, the wireless hub 40 can apply a value or use a scaling factor for each of the identified parameters to determine a score for determining the wireless transmit power to be allocated to the electronic device 42.

[0030] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, a first set of electronic devices 42 includes the wired power supply 43W, and a second set of electronic devices 42 is powered by a battery supply 43B. When the electronic devices 42 include the wired power supply 43W, the allocated wireless transmit power can remain at an increased or maximum available wireless transmit power, since extending the battery life of the wired device is not a concern. However, the method 100 can still reduce the wireless transmit power for the wired devices to reduce transmit interference caused by the wireless transmit power being greater than required to communicate with the wireless hub 40.

[0031] When the electronic devices 42 are powered by a battery supply 43B, the method 100 attempts to reduce the wireless transmit power it expends in order to extend battery life. By allocating the wireless transmit power to the electronic devices 42 powered by the battery supply 43B, the method 100 can use one of the electronic devices 42 powered by the wired power supply 43W to act as an intermediary when communicating with the wireless hub 40. As indicated by the arrows in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the electronic devices 42 powered by a battery supply 43B can communicate wirelessly with one of the electronic devices 42 with the wired power supply 43W to reduce a transmission distance when battery powered.

[0032] In this example, method 100 can allocate wireless transmit power to one of the electronic devices 42, which is powered by a battery supply 43B. This power is insufficient to reach the wireless hub 40, but can reach one of the electronic devices 42 with the adjacent wired power supply 43W by forming an intermediate wireless connection. The electronic device 42 with the wired power supply 43W can then forward the communication to the wireless hub 40. This allows the electronic devices 42 powered by a battery supply 43B to operate for extended periods without the need for maintenance to replace or recharge batteries. Once the wireless transmit power has been allocated to each of the electronic devices 42, the method can then proceed to block 106.

[0033] In Block 106 (“Transmit-Transmit Power”), Method 100 uses the wireless hub 40 to transmit the allocated wireless transmit powers to each of the electronic devices 42. The electronic devices 42 receiving the allocated wireless transmit power can then modify the transmit power of their respective wireless transmit modules to transmit at the allocated wireless transmit power. Once the electronic devices 42 are operating at the allocated wireless transmit powers, Method 100 can then proceed to Block 108.

[0034] In block 108 (“Connectivity verified?”), method 100 verifies that each of the electronic devices 42 can communicate with the wireless hub 40 at the allocated wireless transmit power. As discussed above, a feature of this disclosure is to enable the electronic devices 42 to communicate with the wireless hub 40 either by a direct wireless connection or by using another of the electronic devices 42 to relay the communication to the wireless hub 40.

[0035] In one example, each of the electronic devices 42 transmits an acknowledgment message to the wireless hub 40 at the assigned wireless transmit power. If the wireless hub 40 does not receive the acknowledgment message from each of the electronic devices 42, the procedure 100 returns to block 104 and determines a revised wireless transmit power for the electronic device(s) 42 and the wireless hub 40 from which the acknowledgment message was not received. The procedure 100 then proceeds to blocks 106 and 108, as described above, to transmit the revised wireless transmit power and verify communication from each of the electronic devices 42. The procedure 100 continues this approach until the wireless hub 40 receives an acknowledgment message from each of the electronic devices 42.When the wireless hub 40 verifies connectivity with each of the electronic devices 42, the procedure 100 proceeds to block 110.

[0036] In Block 110 (“Collecting Performance Metrics”), the procedure 100 collects performance metrics and device analyses from at least one of the electronic devices 42. For some of the electronic devices 42 that transmit infrequently, it may not be necessary to collect and monitor performance metrics, but for other devices, such as those that transmit audio or video, it may be necessary to collect and monitor performance metrics. Once the performance metrics have been collected, the procedure 100 proceeds to Block 112.

[0037] In Block 112 (“Performance metrics met?”), Procedure 100 determines whether the collected performance metrics meet predetermined thresholds. By analyzing the performance metrics, Procedure 100 can determine whether it needs to return to Block 104 to dynamically adjust the wireless transmit power for the monitored electronic device 42. In particular, monitoring the performance metrics and analyzing the device for at least one of the electronic devices 42 ensures that the given electronic device 42 meets predetermined performance metrics, thus guaranteeing the desired quality of communication between the given electronic device 42 and the wireless hub 40.

[0038] Fig.Figure 4 illustrates an extended flowchart for determining whether the performance metrics collected at Block 110 are met at Block 112 by evaluating rule sets and analyses for the given electronic device 42. In one example, the rule set and analyses may include a usage history and power loss analyses for the electronic device 42.

[0039] As shown in Block 120 (“First Operating State?”), Procedure 100 determines whether the electronic device 42 is operating in a first operating state based on information received from Block 110. In one example, the first operating state involves the electronic device 42 making a hands-free telephone call. If the electronic device 42 is operating in the first operating state, Procedure 100 proceeds to Block 122.

[0040] For Block 122 (“Quality Metric Fulfilled?”), Procedure 100 determines whether a quality metric corresponding to the first operating state is fulfilled. In an example, the quality metric for Block 122 includes a Quality of Service (QoS) score for the hands-free telephone call made on the electronic device 42. If the quality metric is at or above a predetermined threshold, such as a QoS score of 4, Procedure 100 proceeds to Block 124.

[0041] At Block 124 (“Quality Metric Satisfied?”), Procedure 100 determines whether a second quality metric, corresponding to the first operating state, is satisfied. In an example, the quality metric for Block 124 involves determining whether the audio is clipped or buffered. If, at Block 120, the audio corresponding to the first operating state is neither clipped nor buffered, Procedure 100 proceeds to Block 126 (“No Action”) and takes no action to change an operating parameter, such as transmit power, or control set for the electronic device 42. Procedure 100 then returns to Block 110 to continue monitoring the power metrics.

[0042] If none of the quality metrics from blocks 122 or 124 are met, procedure 100 returns to block 104 and determines whether changes to the wireless transmit power need to be adjusted dynamically or whether the rule set for the wireless device 42 needs to be changed. The rule set may include information on how the transmit power for the electronic device 42 can be varied under certain operating conditions.

[0043] If the first operating state does not occur at block 120, procedure 100 proceeds to block 128. At block 128 (“Second operating state?”), procedure 100 determines whether the electronic device 42 is operating in a second operating state. In an example, the second operating state involves the electronic device 42 streaming audio. If the electronic device 42 is operating in the second operating state, procedure 100 proceeds to block 124. As described above, if the quality metric from block 124 is satisfied, procedure 100 proceeds to block 126 and takes no action. Procedure 100 then returns to block 110 to continue collecting performance metrics for the electronic devices.If the quality metric of block 124 is not met, procedure 100 returns to block 104 and determines whether changes to the wireless transmit power need to be dynamically adjusted or whether the rule set for the wireless device 42 needs to be changed.

[0044] If the first and second operating states do not occur for the given electronic device 42, procedure 100 proceeds to block 130. At block 130 (“Third operating state?”), procedure 100 determines whether the electronic device 42 is operating in a third operating state. In one example, the third operating state involves the electronic device 42 streaming video. If the electronic device 42 is operating in the third operating state, procedure 100 proceeds to block 132.

[0045] At Block 132 (“Quality Metric Satisfied?”), Procedure 100 determines whether a quality metric corresponding to the third operating state is satisfied. In an example, the quality metric for Block 132 involves determining whether the video is clipped or buffered. If the video corresponding to the third operating state is neither clipped nor buffered at Block 130, Procedure 100 proceeds to Block 126 and takes no action to change an operating parameter or rule set for the electronic device 42. If the quality metric is not satisfied at Block 132, Procedure 100 returns to Block 104 and determines whether changes to the wireless transmit power need to be dynamically adjusted or whether the rule set for the wireless device 42 needs to be changed. Procedure 100 can continue in this manner until the wireless hub 40 is disabled or no other electronic devices are connected to it.

[0046] The terms "a" and "an" do not denote a limitation of the set, but instead indicate the presence of at least one of the referenced elements. The term "or" means "and / or" unless clearly indicated otherwise by the context. Reference throughout the specification to "an aspect" means that a particular element (e.g., feature, structure, step, or property) described in connection with that aspect is contained in at least one aspect described herein and may or may not be present in other aspects. Furthermore, it is understood that the described elements can be combined appropriately across the various aspects.

Claims

[1] Method (100) for operating a wireless ecosystem (38), wherein the method (100) comprises: Connecting (102) a plurality of electronic devices (42), each comprising a wireless communication module, to a wireless hub (40); Queries (102) of the plurality of electronic devices (42) with incremental variations of the wireless hub transmission power to determine a reduced hub transmission power for the wireless hub (40) that is sufficient to communicate with the plurality of electronic devices (42); Providing (104) to each of the plurality of electronic devices (42) an allocated wireless transmission power for communicating with the wireless hub (40); and Transfer (106) the allocated wireless transmission power from the wireless hub (40) to each of the plurality of electronic devices (42) for communicating with the wireless hub (40); wherein the plurality of electronic devices (42) includes at least one electronic device (42) which is powered by a battery supply (43B); and wherein the plurality of electronic devices (42) includes at least one electronic device (42) configured to receive power from a wired power supply (43W); and wherein the provision (104) and transmission (106) of the allocated wireless transmission power to each of the plurality of electronic devices (42) is carried out in such a way as to increase the wireless transmission power of the at least one electronic device (42) which receives power from a wired power supply (43W) and to minimize the wireless transmission power of the at least one electronic device (42) which is powered by a battery supply (43B); and wherein the at least one electronic device (42) which receives power from a wired power supply (43W) acts as an intermediary between the wireless hub (40) and the at least one electronic device (42) which is powered by a battery supply (43B), so that the at least one electronic device (42) which is powered by a battery supply (43B) can be operated with a minimized wireless transmission power which would otherwise not be sufficient for direct communication with the wireless hub (40). [2] Method (100) according to claim 1, comprising determining (108) whether any of the plurality of electronic devices (42) operating with the allocated wireless transmission power are unable to communicate with the wireless hub (40), and transmitting (104, 106) a revised wireless transmission power to any of the plurality of electronic devices (42) that are unable to communicate with the wireless hub (40) with the allocated wireless transmission power. [3] Method (100) according to claim 1, comprising monitoring (110, 112, 120, 122, 124, 128, 130) at least one of the plurality of electronic devices (42) for a power metric during an operating state and dynamically adjusting (104) the allocated wireless transmission power based on comparing (112) the power metric during the operating state with a predetermined threshold. [4] Method (100) according to claim 3, wherein the operating state includes a telephone call and the performance metric includes audio quality. [5] Method (100) according to claim 3, wherein the operating state includes audio streaming and the performance metric includes a measurement of clipped audio or buffered audio. [6] Method (100) according to claim 3, wherein the operating state includes video streaming and the performance metric includes a measurement of clipped video or buffered video. [7] Method (100) according to claim 1, wherein the allocated wireless transmission power is determined based on at least one of a type of electronic device (42), a location of each of the plurality of electronic devices (42) relative to the wireless hub (40) and a power source for each of the plurality of electronic devices (42). [8] Method (100) according to claim 1, wherein the incremental variations include reductions by a predetermined percentage of the wireless hub transmission power between the sequential queries of the plurality of electronic devices (42). [9] Wireless hub (40) reveals, comprehensively: a case (41); a wireless communication module (44) located inside the housing (41); and a control unit (46) located inside the housing (41) and in electrical communication with the wireless communication module (44); wherein the controller (46) is configured to execute the method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims. [10] Vehicle (10), comprising: a wireless hub (40) according to claim 9.

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