Mobile Gateway M2M Beaconing and DRX Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, managing power and communication resources is challenging due to the use of low-power endpoint devices that cannot directly communicate with cellular networks, requiring a gateway device like a mobile terminal to relay information, but the mobile terminal needs to discover and connect with these devices efficiently without continuous or periodic beaconing, which wastes battery power.
Innovation Solution
The method involves providing configuration instructions to machines defining discontinuous reception periods and beaconing instructions, and connection information to the mobile terminal to establish communication, allowing the mobile terminal to function as a gateway while conserving power by avoiding continuous beaconing, and allocating specific wireless network resources for efficient communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous or periodic beaconing is used by the mobile terminal to discover machines, then reliable connection establishment is achieved, but battery power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements discontinuous reception (DRX) cycles where the mobile terminal alternates between active listening periods and sleep periods. During DRX on-durations, the terminal listens for machine beacons; during off-durations, it conserves power by remaining inactive. This periodic action pattern resolves the contradiction by maintaining connection reliability during active periods while dramatically reducing power consumption during sleep periods.
Solution Approach 2:
Machines autonomously transmit beacon signals during their configured transmission opportunities without requiring the mobile terminal to continuously solicit or probe for their presence. The terminal simply listens during DRX on-durations for these self-initiated machine beacons, enabling discovery without active terminal searching and thus reducing power consumption while maintaining reliable connection establishment.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the mobile terminal continuously monitors for machine beacons, then connection discovery is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile terminal employs discontinuous reception cycles with configured on-durations and off-durations. During on-durations, the terminal actively monitors for machine beacons on allocated resources; during off-durations, it enters sleep mode to conserve power. This periodic monitoring strategy maintains effective machine discovery capability while dramatically reducing average power consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The network configures and mediates the DRX parameters, beacon transmission opportunities, and resource allocations for both machines and mobile terminals. This network-mediated configuration ensures that discovery capabilities are optimized without requiring the terminal to continuously monitor, as the network coordinates when and how beacons are transmitted and when terminals should listen.
3Use of energy by moving object
If low-power endpoint devices are used in M2M systems, then device portability and battery life are improved, but direct communication with cellular networks becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile terminal serves as an intermediary gateway between low-power endpoint devices and the cellular network. Machines transmit data using only low-power short-range radios to the mobile terminal, which then relays communications to and from the cellular network using its full-power cellular radio. This intermediary architecture enables machines to maintain low power consumption while still achieving network communication capability through the gateway.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication system is segmented into two distinct communication domains: a low-power short-range domain for machine-to-gateway communication, and a high-power cellular domain for gateway-to-network communication. This segmentation allows each component to operate in its optimal power regime, with machines using only low-power radios while the mobile terminal handles the power-intensive cellular communications.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus (20) for providing facilitation of mobile gateway operation may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured, with the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform at least causing provision of configuration instructions (210) to one or more machines (42) where the configuration instructions define at least a discontinuous reception period and beaconing instructions for the one or more machines relative to machine communications utilizing network defined resources, and causing provision of connection information (220) to a mobile terminal (10) to identify connection parameters that correspond to the configuration instructions provided to the one or more machines where the connection information enables establishment of communication between the mobile terminal and the one or more machines. A corresponding method is also provided.