Mobile Device Connection via PSTN Trigger for Power Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining connections between mobile devices and server applications on the public Internet is inefficient due to network address translation (NAT) timeouts, leading to increased load and power consumption, especially in power-constrained devices like in-vehicle infotainment systems.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to establish and re-establish connections via telephone calls, allowing mobile devices to be reachable without going through all cellular network protocol steps, thereby eliminating the need for periodic dummy data exchanges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dummy data is periodically exchanged to prevent NAT timeout, then connection reachability is maintained, but power consumption increases and network load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the connection maintenance function from the data plane (dummy data exchanges) and relocates it to the control plane (telephony signaling). By using PSTN telephony calls to trigger connection re-establishment, the system eliminates the need for continuous dummy data traffic while maintaining reachability. This separates the signaling function from the data transport function.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous or frequent periodic dummy data exchanges, the patent implements event-driven periodic action where connections are re-established only when triggered by an incoming telephony call. This transforms the periodic maintenance traffic into on-demand action, reducing overall network load and power consumption while maintaining connection availability when needed.
2Reliability
If dummy data is periodically exchanged to prevent NAT timeout, then connection reachability is maintained, but network load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the connection maintenance function from the data plane (dummy data exchanges) and relocates it to the control plane (telephony signaling). By using PSTN telephony calls to trigger connection re-establishment, the system eliminates the need for continuous dummy data traffic while maintaining reachability. This separates the signaling function from the data transport function.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous or frequent periodic dummy data exchanges, the patent implements event-driven periodic action where connections are re-established only when triggered by an incoming telephony call. This transforms the periodic maintenance traffic into on-demand action, reducing overall network load and power consumption while maintaining connection availability when needed.
3Use of energy by moving object
If NAT timeout is allowed to occur, then power consumption is reduced, but connection reachability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces PSTN telephony network as an intermediary mechanism between the mobile device and the data network. The telephony call serves as a mediator that triggers the re-establishment of the data connection without requiring continuous data plane activity. This intermediary control plane signaling enables the device to maintain reachability with minimal power consumption by only activating data connections when actually needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A server application executing on the public Internet may establish or re-establish a packet data network (PDN) connection with a client application executing on mobile device over a cellular network by initiating a telephone call to the mobile device via a cellular access network node according to a telephone number associated with the client application. The mobile device may receive a paging for the telephone call from the cellular access network node. In response to the paging, the mobile device may determine a PDN communication channel associated with the server application, the PDN including the cellular access network node, and send a set of data to the server application via the determined PDN communication channel. The server application may, in response to receiving the set of data, send a second data set of data to the client application over a PDN communication channel associated with the client application.