IoT Device Power Save Mode with AP Buffering

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Solution Overview

Problem

IoT devices in wireless communication systems face suboptimal battery life due to inefficient energy modes and varying AP device buffering times, leading to frequent wake-ups and potential packet loss.

Innovation Solution

A method that involves configuring IoT devices to operate in Power Save Mode with optimized awake and sleep states, allowing them to ignore AP device beacons and adjust sleep durations based on learned buffer timeout and idle times, thereby reducing energy consumption and packet loss.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If IoT devices wake up frequently to monitor beacons for buffered packets, then packet delivery reliability is improved, but battery life deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket delivery reliabilityVSAvoidbattery life

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by having the AP device buffer packets before the IoT device wakes up. The AP monitors for incoming packets and stores them in a buffer during the IoT device's sleep period, so that when the device wakes up, packets are already ready for delivery without requiring frequent wake-ups

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The AP device acts as an intermediary between the network and the sleeping IoT device. It receives and buffers packets intended for the IoT device, then delivers them when the device wakes up. This intermediary function eliminates the need for the IoT device to frequently monitor beacons, as the AP handles packet management on its behalf

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If IoT devices extend awake periods conservatively to reduce packet loss, then packet delivery reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket delivery reliabilityVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The AP device performs preliminary buffering of packets before the IoT device needs to wake up. By having packets ready in advance in the AP's buffer, the system can use shorter, less conservative awake periods without risking packet loss, thus reducing energy consumption while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If AP devices buffer packets for sleeping IoT devices, then packet delivery reliability is improved, but AP device idle time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket delivery reliabilityVSAvoidAP device idle time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic action through scheduled wake-up cycles. The IoT device wakes up at predetermined intervals to retrieve buffered packets and then returns to sleep mode. This periodic pattern allows the AP device to buffer packets efficiently during sleep periods and deliver them during brief awake periods, optimizing resource utilization and reducing overall idle time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS11166235B2Wireless communication system and method to reduce energy consumption of wireless devices

Publication Date: 2021.11.02 CARRIER CORP

AI summary

A wireless communication system includes an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Access Point (AP) device, and a cloud. The IoT device is configured to operate in a Power Save Mode that includes a plurality of awake states and a plurality of sleep states. The AP device is configured to receive a plurality of requests and a plurality of Power Save (PS) polls from the IoT device. The cloud is configured to receive the plurality of requests from the AP device and send a response for each one of the plurality of requests to the AP device. The AP device is configured to buffer the response and send the buffered response to the IoT device upon receipt of a respective PS poll.