IoT Device Battery Life Extension via Dynamic Transmission Delay

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Solution Overview

Problem

Battery-powered IoT devices face significant power consumption and reduced battery life due to frequent cellular link establishment and repeated message transmissions in poor signal conditions, which can shorten their expected lifespan from 15-20 years to less than a year.

Innovation Solution

Determining coverage enhancement and radio frequency link parameters to estimate signal conditions, delaying message transmissions until signal conditions improve, thereby reducing power consumption and extending battery life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cellular link establishment and message transmission are performed frequently to ensure data reporting, then communication reliability is improved, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes transmission parameters dynamically based on signal quality assessment. When signal conditions are poor, the device adjusts by reducing transmission frequency or skipping transmissions entirely, rather than maintaining a fixed high-frequency transmission schedule. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction by lowering power consumption during unfavorable conditions while maintaining communication reliability when signal conditions permit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from static transmission scheduling to dynamic transmission decision-making. The device continuously monitors signal quality metrics and adapts its transmission behavior in real-time, making the communication pattern flexible and responsive to environmental conditions. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize the balance between communication reliability and power consumption based on current signal conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If message retransmissions are performed in poor signal conditions to ensure delivery, then communication reliability is improved, but power consumption increases and effective data rate decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage delivery reliabilityVSAvoideffective data rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical retry mechanism with an intelligence-based decision system. Instead of automatically retransmitting messages when acknowledgments are not received, the device assesses signal quality conditions and determines whether retransmission is likely to be successful. This substitution eliminates futile retransmission attempts that consume power and time, thereby improving effective data rate while maintaining message delivery reliability through selective transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If cellular link establishment is performed frequently for regular metrology data reporting, then data reporting frequency is improved, but battery life decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata reporting frequencyVSAvoidbattery life

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic adjustment of data reporting frequency based on assessed signal conditions. When signal quality is poor, the device reduces reporting frequency or suspends reporting temporarily, adapting the reporting parameter to current conditions. This resolves the contradiction by allowing high reporting frequency when signal conditions support it (extending battery life) while maintaining acceptable reporting rates when signal conditions are favorable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If repeated transmission attempts are made in poor signal conditions, then message delivery reliability is improved, but power consumption increases and reduces effective data rate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage delivery success rateVSAvoidenergy lost in retransmissions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces feedback-based transmission decision-making where the device monitors signal quality metrics and uses this feedback to determine whether to attempt transmission. This feedback mechanism prevents energy-wasting retransmissions by assessing conditions before transmission attempts, thereby reducing energy loss while maintaining message delivery success rate through intelligent selection of transmission opportunities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11917546B2Techniques for preserving battery life in poor signal conditions using cellular protocol information

Publication Date: 2024.02.27 ITRON INC

AI summary

Techniques for preserving battery life in poor signal conditions include an electronic device determining a coverage enhancement (CE) parameter associated with a link between the electronic device and a base station for a first point in time; determining, based on the CE parameter, that a signaling metric associated with the link for the first point in time is equal to or below a corresponding threshold; and in response to determining that the signaling metric is equal to or below the corresponding threshold, delaying transmission of one or more messages from the electronic device over the link until a second point in time that is later than the first point in time.