Network Interface Component for Playback Device Power Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional media playback devices face challenges in quickly transitioning between networking modes, such as switching from At-Home to Away modes, which can lead to delays in responding to user commands due to the need to re-determine the appropriate networking behavior upon waking up, resulting in increased power consumption and lag time.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of network interface components that can detect changes in network availability and update a flag state to determine the preferred networking behavior before waking up the processing components, allowing the device to establish the correct connection expeditiously, thereby reducing power consumption and response time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the playback device transitions to a low-power state to conserve energy, then power consumption is reduced, but the device experiences increased lag time when transitioning back to an active state and determining appropriate networking behavior
Solution Approach 1:
The network interface component performs preliminary actions by detecting available networks and determining appropriate networking behavior while the playback device is in the low-power state. This advance preparation allows the processing component to wake up and establish connections more quickly, reducing the lag time penalty associated with power state transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The network interface component acts as an intermediary between the low-power state and the active processing component. It maintains network detection and connection management capabilities independently, allowing it to prepare networking behavior without requiring the full processing component to be active, thereby bridging the gap between power saving and responsive operation.
2Loss of time
If the processing component remains in an active state to quickly respond to user commands, then response time is reduced, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the networking functionality into two parts: the network interface component that operates independently in low-power state for network detection and initial connection setup, and the processing component that wakes up only when needed for full operation. This segmentation allows the processing component to remain dormant longer, saving power, while still maintaining relatively quick response times through the pre-work done by the network interface component.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the device determines networking behavior after waking up from low-power state, then power consumption is minimized during sleep, but the device complexity increases due to the need for dynamic mode switching logic
Solution Approach 1:
The network interface component performs self-service by autonomously detecting available networks and determining appropriate networking behavior without requiring the processing component to be active. This self-service capability reduces the burden on the processing component and simplifies the overall control logic, as the network interface component handles the complex networking decisions independently while the system is in low-power state.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a playback device is configured to: (i) after receiving an indication that the presence of one or more first wireless networks is detected, transition from a second power state to a first power state; (ii) update, while in the first power state, a state variable from a first value indicating that a connection via at least one of one or more second wireless networks should be established to a second value indicating that a connection via at least one of the one or more first wireless networks should be established; and (iii) after updating the state variable, enter the second power state.