Wireless Controller Clustering for BLE Power Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices face significant power consumption due to frequent powering up and down of RF transceivers during multiple connection events with peripheral devices, which is inefficient and consumes excessive energy, especially in battery-powered applications.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a clustering technique where multiple peripheral devices are grouped together for back-to-back connection events, allowing the central node to power up its RF transceiver only once per connection interval and maintain it until the last peripheral device in the cluster has been communicated with, reducing the number of power cycles and thus saving power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the RF transceiver is powered up and down for each connection event with peripheral devices, then connection events can be handled individually, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple connection events into a single RF transceiver activation period. Instead of powering up and down for each peripheral device separately, the system groups multiple connection events together and activates the RF transceiver once to handle all connections in sequence, thereby reducing the total number of power cycles and significantly lowering power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system determines connection event timing and groups peripheral devices into clusters in advance, before the actual communication occurs. This preliminary scheduling allows the RF transceiver to be activated once and held in an active state for multiple sequential connection events, avoiding repeated power-up sequences and reducing overall energy consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the RF transceiver is powered up multiple times for multiple peripheral devices, then each device can be communicated with independently, but the number of power cycles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent connection events into a single activated period. By grouping peripheral devices into clusters and scheduling their connection events to occur sequentially during one RF activation window, the system maintains the ability to communicate with multiple devices independently while reducing the total number of power cycles from multiple individual activations to a single consolidated activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous useful action by keeping the RF transceiver active throughout a consolidated period that accommodates multiple connection events. Instead of activating, deactivating, and re-activating the transceiver for each device, the system keeps it continuously active during the clustered time window, eliminating redundant power cycle transitions and reducing overall time loss.
Data Source
AI summary
A device including a host logic and a wireless controller. The wireless controller includes a transceiver and a scheduler. The scheduler is configured to determine a first device and a second device to cluster together. Further, upon occurrence of a communication event, the scheduler is configured to wakeup the transceiver for a period of time for the transceiver to exchange packets with the first and second devices, exchange a packet with the first device, exchange a packet with the second device, and power down the transceiver.