Wireless Router Distinguishing Power-Sensitive Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless network technologies face challenges in reducing power consumption of mobile devices like wireless sensors while maintaining transmission speed, as performance-oriented techniques often increase power usage, especially in devices that operate on batteries for extended periods.
Innovation Solution
A wireless router or residential gateway equipped with a coexistence controller that identifies power-sensitive devices and provides separate low-power connections using fast channel switching techniques, allowing these devices to operate on different channels within the same frequency band, thereby reducing interference and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If performance-oriented wireless communication techniques are used to increase transmission speed, then network bandwidth and speed are improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments wireless devices into two categories: power-sensitive devices (running on batteries) and regular devices (plugged in). It creates separate connection pathways - a first connection for power-sensitive devices operating on a first channel, and a second connection for regular devices operating on a second channel. This segmentation allows each device type to receive optimized treatment, with power-sensitive devices using lower-power communication modes while regular devices can utilize high-speed performance-oriented techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different connection qualities to different device types. Power-sensitive devices receive a specialized low-power connection with relaxed standards (first connection on first channel), while regular devices receive standard high-performance connections (second connection on second channel). The coexistence controller selectively applies different operational parameters, power levels, and connection maintenance frequencies to different devices based on their power sensitivity, ensuring each device operates in its optimal performance envelope.
2Use of energy by moving object
If separate connections are provided for power-sensitive devices, then power consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coexistence controller as an intermediary component that manages the complexity of handling multiple connection types. This controller automatically identifies whether devices are power-sensitive or regular, selects appropriate connection parameters, and coordinates channel switching. By centralizing this management function in a dedicated intermediary component, the system avoids the need for complex distributed decision-making across all devices, simplifying overall system architecture while enabling sophisticated connection management.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for a wireless router or residential gateway to distinguish power-sensitive wireless sensors and provide separate treatments thereto for low power consumption connections. In some embodiments, a network device includes a wireless network circuit, and control circuitry coupled to the network circuit and configured to, upon receipt of a request of connection from a client, identify whether the client is power-sensitive. The network device can further cause, if the client is identified as power-sensitive, the power-sensitive client to connect using a low-power connection while maintaining a regular connection to other regular clients. The low-power connection can be operated on a first channel different from but in a same frequency band as a second channel on which the regular connection is operated.