Digital Twin Proxy for Low Power Wi-Fi Sleep Duration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing low power Wi-Fi devices face challenges in remaining in low power mode for extended periods without requiring frequent communication with the access point, leading to issues such as battery life reduction and interoperability problems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Digital Twin system where a low power Wi-Fi device associates with a proxy node (Digital Twin) during commissioning, allowing the device to remain in sleep mode while the Digital Twin handles communications, and using recency scores and link codes to manage associations and reconfiguration when the Digital Twin becomes unavailable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If low power Wi-Fi devices use traditional power saving modes (PS-Poll, TWT, BSS Max Idle), then battery life is extended, but interoperability issues and disconnections occur when wake frequency is too high or too low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Digital Twin as an intermediary node that remains continuously connected to the network while the low power device sleeps. The Digital Twin receives and buffers commands, attributes, and messages during the device's sleep period, then transfers them when the device wakes up. This mediator approach allows the device to extend battery life through long sleep intervals without causing connection instability or interoperability issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a Digital Twin copy of the low power device that maintains an active network presence. This copy includes all necessary device attributes, state information, and communication buffers. The Digital Twin acts as a surrogate that handles network communications while the original device remains in deep sleep mode, resolving the contradiction between extended sleep duration and connection reliability.
2Reliability
If low power Wi-Fi devices wake frequently to maintain connection stability, then interoperability issues are reduced, but battery life is depleted
Solution Approach 1:
The Digital Twin serves as a persistent intermediary that maintains continuous network connectivity and handles all communications during the low power device's extended sleep periods. This eliminates the need for frequent wake-ups, as the Digital Twin buffers all incoming commands, attributes, and messages until the device is ready to receive them.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by having the Digital Twin pre-receive, buffer, and prepare all communications during the device's sleep period. When the device wakes up, all necessary data is already ready for immediate transfer, eliminating the need for frequent wake-ups to maintain connection stability.
3Duration of action of moving object
If low power Wi-Fi devices remain in sleep mode for extended periods, then battery life is extended, but the device cannot receive real-time commands and attribute updates
Solution Approach 1:
The Digital Twin acts as a communication intermediary that receives, stores, and manages all commands, attribute updates, and messages during the device's extended sleep period. The Digital Twin maintains an accurate buffer of all information, ensuring no data is lost during the device's absence from the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the communication and data buffering functions from the low power device itself and places them in the Digital Twin. This separation allows the device to focus solely on low-power operation while the Digital Twin handles all network communications and information management during sleep periods.
4Duration of action of moving object
If Digital Twin nodes are used to enable extended sleep mode, then battery life is extended, but system complexity increases due to association management and recency score tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The Digital Twin association management system operates autonomously using self-service mechanisms. The recency score system automatically tracks and manages Digital Twin associations without requiring complex external coordination. When a low power device wakes up, the system automatically determines which Digital Twin is most current based on recency scores, and associations are automatically updated and maintained without manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and various methods to implement a Digital Twin with a low power Wi-Fi device is disclosed. The low power Wi-Fi device seeks a Digital Twin at the time of commissioning to serve as its proxy node while it is in sleep mode. Additionally, techniques to address the situation where the Digital Twin becomes unavailable are also disclosed. Finally, techniques to create and update a chain of Digital Twins are also disclosed.