Synchronized Low-Energy Beacon Scanning for Wireless Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless network detection techniques result in significant power consumption due to frequent beacon transmission and reception, leading to reduced operating time of electronic devices and degraded user experience.
Innovation Solution
A synchronized low-energy detection technique where a receiving electronic device calculates and adjusts beacon transmit times based on clock drift, allowing for reduced scan window widths and increased beacon periods, with synchronization corrections maintained using a network clock to minimize power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electronic devices regularly broadcast beacons and scan for beacons from other electronic devices, then device detection and communication capability are improved, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic beacon transmission and scan window activation instead of continuous operation. The transmitting device sends beacons at regular intervals (beacon period), and the receiving device opens scan windows at calculated times to receive these beacons. This periodic action significantly reduces power consumption compared to continuous broadcasting and scanning, while maintaining reliable device detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving device calculates the transmit times of subsequent beacons in advance based on the initial beacon period and clock drift compensation. By knowing the expected beacon arrival times beforehand, the device can open scan windows only at these specific moments rather than continuously monitoring, thereby reducing power consumption while ensuring timely detection of beacons.
2Use of energy by moving object
If scan window width is reduced to lower power consumption, then power consumption decreases, but the risk of missing beacons due to timing synchronization errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs clock drift compensation where the receiving device calculates the transmit times of subsequent beacons based on the initial beacon period and estimated clock drift. This feedback mechanism adjusts the timing of scan windows to account for potential timing deviations, ensuring that even with reduced scan window widths, the device reliably captures beacons by positioning the windows at the correct calculated times.
Solution Approach 2:
The scan window timing is made dynamic through clock drift compensation. Instead of using fixed periodic intervals, the receiving device adjusts the timing of scan windows based on calculated clock drift between devices. This dynamic adjustment ensures that scan windows remain synchronized with actual beacon transmit times, maintaining reception reliability even with narrower windows that consume less power.
3Use of energy by moving object
If beacon period is increased to reduce transmission frequency and power consumption, then power consumption decreases, but timing synchronization between devices becomes more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses clock drift compensation as a feedback mechanism to maintain timing synchronization even with increased beacon periods. By calculating and compensating for clock drift between transmitting and receiving devices, the system adjusts the timing of scan windows to match actual beacon transmit times. This feedback approach allows longer beacon periods (reducing power consumption) while maintaining synchronization accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
In order to reduce the power consumption after a transmitting electronic device in a wireless network has been detected, a receiving electronic device calculates transmit times of subsequent beacons from the transmitting electronic device based on a clock drift of the transmitting electronic device and the beacon period. Then, the receiving electronic device receives the subsequent beacon by opening scan windows that encompass the calculated transmit times. However, because the transmit times are more predictable after the transmitting electronic device has been detected (and the clock drift of the transmitting electronic device is known to the receiving electronic device), the receiving electronic device can reduce the width of the scan windows. In addition, the transmitting electronic device can further reduce the power consumption by increasing the beacon period.