Baseband Processor Keep-Alive for Mobile Power Conservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cellular telephones waste power by periodically activating the applications processor to maintain a data connection for push email services, as the process consumes more power than necessary and can shorten battery life.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a baseband processor to transmit keep-alive packets over the data connection, which maintains the connection without the need to wake up the applications processor, thus conserving power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the applications processor is periodically activated to send data packets to maintain the data connection, then the data connection remains active and push data can be received, but power consumption increases and battery life shortens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the keep-alive function from the applications processor and assigns it to the baseband processor. This separation allows the applications processor to remain in sleep mode while the baseband processor handles the periodic data transmission to maintain the data connection, thereby reducing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The baseband processor acts as an intermediary between the network and the applications processor. It maintains the data connection by sending periodic packets without requiring the applications processor to wake up, thus mediating between the need for connection availability and power conservation.
2Reliability
If the applications processor is kept active to maintain data connection, then push data can be received continuously, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of keeping the applications processor continuously active, the system uses periodic action where the baseband processor sends data packets at intervals to maintain the data connection. This allows push data to be received while consuming less power compared to continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the processor functions into two distinct units: the baseband processor for communication-related tasks (including keep-alive transmissions) and the applications processor for application-level operations. This segmentation enables independent power management where only the baseband processor needs to remain active for connection maintenance.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the applications processor is shut down to conserve power, then power consumption decreases, but the data connection may be torn down by the network
Solution Approach 1:
The keep-alive function is extracted from the applications processor and assigned to the baseband processor. This allows the applications processor to be shut down for power conservation while the baseband processor continues to send periodic packets to maintain the data connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The baseband processor provides self-service by handling the keep-alive transmissions independently without requiring applications processor intervention. This enables the system to maintain the data connection while the applications processor remains powered down.
Data Source
AI summary
Mobile devices such as cellular telephones are provided that communicate with wireless networks. Cellular telephone network equipment may communicate with a cellular telephone over a data connection. The cellular telephone may have an internet protocol (IP) address that allows data to be provided to the cellular telephone over the data connection. To conserve resources and release unused IP addresses, the cellular telephone network equipment may deactivate inactive data connections after a period of inactivity. A baseband processor within a mobile device may periodically send User Datagram Protocol (UDP) keep-alive packets over the data connection to ensure that the data connection remains active. The keep-alive packets may be directed to a packet sink server or may be associated with a black hole route. An applications processor in the telephone may remain in sleep mode during keep-alive packet transmission to conserve power.