Wireless LAN Power Savings via Beacon Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless network devices face challenges in minimizing power consumption, especially in infrastructure and ad-hoc modes, leading to reduced battery life due to continuous data transmission and reception, which existing power management strategies fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A system with a baseband processor receiver to determine signal frames, a media access controller to identify destination addresses, and a power management module to selectively transition components to active or low power modes based on predetermined criteria, optimizing power usage by activating only necessary components and reducing unnecessary data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If client stations continuously transmit and receive data to maintain network connectivity, then network responsiveness is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic beacon transmissions at Target Beacon Transmission Times (TBTT) where the access point wakes up the client stations at regular intervals. This allows client stations to remain in low power mode between beacons while still maintaining network awareness and responsiveness when data is available.
Solution Approach 2:
The access point sets the Traffic Indication Map (TIM) bit in advance within the beacon frame to notify client stations of buffered data before the client stations wake up. This preliminary notification allows client stations to wake up only when necessary, reducing power consumption while maintaining network responsiveness.
2Use of energy by moving object
If client stations enter low power mode to conserve battery life, then power consumption is reduced, but data reception capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The access point provides feedback through the TIM bit in beacon frames to indicate whether buffered data is available for client stations. This feedback mechanism allows client stations to make informed decisions about when to wake up from low power mode, ensuring data reception capability is maintained only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The beacon frame serves as an intermediary message that carries the TIM bit information from the access point to client stations. This intermediary allows the access point to communicate data availability status without requiring continuous client station activation, resolving the contradiction between power saving and data reception capability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If access point transmits beacons at regular intervals to maintain network synchronization, then network synchronization is improved, but power consumption of client stations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic beacon transmissions at defined TBTT intervals to maintain network synchronization while allowing client stations to sleep between beacons. This periodic structure provides a balance between synchronization stability and power consumption by waking client stations only at necessary intervals.
Data Source
AI summary
An access point configured to be implemented in a wireless network, the access point including a beacon module and a transmit module. The access point is configured to communicate with one or more client stations in the wireless network. The beacon module is configured to generate (i) a first beacon and (ii) a second beacon, wherein the first beacon is shorter in duration than the second beacon. The transmit module is configured to periodically transmit, to the one or more client stations in the wireless network, each of the first beacon and the second beacon. Each time the first beacon and the second beacon are transmitted by the transmit module, the first beacon is transmitted prior to the second beacon.