Coordinated Multicast Slots for Battery-Powered Load Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing load control systems face challenges with battery-powered devices experiencing power depletion due to frequent RF communication, leading to unreliable communications and the need for frequent battery replacements, which affects user experience and system reliability.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a load control system that utilizes power-conservative control devices powered by super capacitors and alternative energy sources, with a network architecture that includes roles for devices such as leader, router, and sleepy-end devices, allowing for efficient power management and communication through multicast and unicast slots, minimizing power consumption and optimizing message transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If battery-powered load control devices enable RF receiver for communication, then communication capability is improved, but power consumption increases leading to frequent battery replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The RF receiver is configured to periodically transition between on state and off state, enabling communication only during on periods. This periodic operation reduces average power consumption while maintaining necessary communication functionality, directly addressing the contradiction between communication reliability and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The load control device autonomously manages its own power consumption by implementing periodic RF receiver activation and coordinating with input devices to receive messages only during active periods. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external power management intervention and reduces battery replacement frequency.
2Use of energy by moving object
If multiple load control devices periodically transition RF receiver on and off, then power consumption is reduced, but RF communication reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple load control devices coordinate their RF receiver operation to receive messages during common on periods. By merging their active communication windows, the system ensures that input devices can successfully transmit messages to multiple load control devices simultaneously, maintaining communication reliability while preserving power savings.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements coordination mechanisms where input devices are aware of load control device RF receiver states and adjust message transmission timing accordingly. This feedback loop ensures messages are transmitted only when receivers are active, preventing communication failures while maintaining periodic power-saving operation.
3Ease of operation
If input devices asynchronously transmit commands, then user input flexibility is improved, but message delivery reliability deteriorates due to unsynchronized receiver states
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-coordinates communication timing by establishing known on periods for RF receivers before asynchronous user inputs occur. This preliminary synchronization allows input devices to asynchronously process user inputs while guaranteeing that message transmission will occur during guaranteed receiver active periods, maintaining both flexibility and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A load control system may include multiple devices capable of communicating with one another to enable load control via a network. Devices communicating in the load control system may be powered by a lower power supply (e.g., a battery). These devices may be power-conservative control devices. A device may transmit an indication that it is a power-conservative control device. The device may be assigned a multicast slot. The multicast slot may occur periodically and may be associated with a multicast phase. An indication of the device's assigned multicast slot may be transmitted to other devices in the load control system. Messages may be transmitted to the device from one or more other devices during its configured multicast slot. The device may periodically transition its communication circuit on and off based on the multicast slot