Wireless Sensor Network Sleep Schedule Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

In building automation systems, wireless devices, especially reduced function devices, often remain asleep to conserve battery power, making it challenging to communicate effectively and efficiently with them, as they need to be frequently woken up to transmit data, which can lead to delayed communication and reduced battery life.

Innovation Solution

A mobile device is configured to determine and adjust the communication schedule of automation components within the system, allowing for increased communication frequency by sending a 'WAKEUP' command to transition sleeping devices into an active state, enabling direct communication and optimizing battery life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If reduced function devices remain asleep to conserve battery power, then energy consumption is reduced, but communication responsiveness and data transmission timeliness deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery power consumptionVSAvoidcommunication response time
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic wake-up schedules where sleeping devices wake up at predetermined intervals to communicate data and then return to sleep mode. This allows battery-powered reduced function devices to maintain periodic communication while minimizing overall power consumption, resolving the contradiction between energy conservation and communication responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-schedules communication wake-up times for sleeping devices based on anticipated data transmission needs. By preparing and scheduling wake-up events in advance, the system ensures timely data transmission when needed while allowing devices to remain asleep during non-critical periods, thus balancing energy efficiency with communication responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If sleeping devices are woken up frequently to transmit data, then data transmission timeliness is improved, but battery power is depleted faster

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission delayVSAvoidbattery power consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the wake-up frequency and communication schedule of sleeping devices based on real-time network conditions, data priority, and device battery status. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to increase communication frequency when timely data transmission is critical while reducing frequency when energy conservation is prioritized, resolving the contradiction between transmission timeliness and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters such as wake-up interval duration, communication timeout values, and transmission power levels based on network conditions and device state. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system optimizes the balance between frequent enough communication to maintain timeliness and infrequent enough communication to preserve battery life.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If communication frequency with sleeping devices is increased, then communication efficiency is improved, but device power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication efficiencyVSAvoiddevice power consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments communication activities into critical and non-critical categories, assigning different wake-up frequencies and communication priorities accordingly. High-priority devices or time-sensitive data transmissions receive more frequent wake-up schedules, while non-critical communications use lower frequency schedules, thus improving overall communication efficiency without uniformly increasing power consumption across all devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2193452B1Method and system for wireless communication with sleeping devices in a wirless sensor control network
Publication Date: 2017.11.29 SIEMENS INDUSTRY INC
  • EP2193452B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2193452B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2193452B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A method of communicating with automation components configured for use within a building automation system is disclosed. The method includes determining a first communication schedule such that the first communication schedule configured to govern an activity schedule for use by an automation component, communicating the first communication schedule to the automation component such that the automation component currently implements a second communication schedule to govern the activity schedule, and adjusting the second communication schedule to equal the communicated first communication schedule such that the activity schedule increases a communication frequency in response to the adjustment. The method may further include defining a duration during which the first communication schedule equals the second communication schedule.