Underwater Node Wake-Up Tone Mechanism for Power Saving
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Underwater communication networks face challenges such as high power consumption, interference between nodes, and the need for exact time synchronization, which complicates data transfer and increases maintenance costs, especially in environments like oil well environments where proximity of nodes exacerbates interference.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an underwater communication network with nodes equipped with transceivers and observation mechanisms that operate in passive mode until activated by a predetermined tone, allowing for data transmission or reception without the need for exact time synchronization, using a token signal system to manage data transfer and minimize active operation time, thereby reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If nodes operate in active mode continuously to ensure immediate data transmission capability, then data transfer speed is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic wake-up cycles where nodes alternate between sleep mode and active listening mode. Each node wakes up at predetermined intervals to check for wake-up tones, then returns to sleep mode. This periodic operation allows nodes to be ready for communication occasionally while consuming minimal power during sleep periods, resolving the contradiction between immediate data transfer capability and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses preliminary wake-up tones sent before actual data transmission to activate nodes in advance. Instead of requiring nodes to remain continuously active, the transmitting node sends a wake-up tone that triggers the receiving node to wake up and prepare for data reception. This preliminary action ensures data transfer can begin quickly while allowing nodes to remain in low-power state most of the time.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If nodes use exact time synchronization to coordinate transmission and prevent interference, then interference between nodes is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces wake-up tones as intermediary signals that mediate between nodes and eliminate the need for complex time synchronization. Instead of requiring precise timing coordination, nodes use wake-up tones as a simple trigger mechanism to indicate when transmission is about to occur. The receiving node wakes up upon detecting the wake-up tone and prepares for data reception, avoiding interference without complex synchronization protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the time synchronization requirement entirely from the communication protocol. Rather than embedding complex synchronization mechanisms in the device, the invention removes this complexity by using event-driven wake-up tones that naturally coordinate transmission without requiring synchronized clocks or complex timing algorithms.
3Use of energy by moving object
If nodes remain in passive reception mode to minimize power consumption, then power saving is improved, but response time to data transmission requests increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitting node sends a wake-up tone as a preliminary action before transmitting actual data. This wake-up tone travels through the water and triggers the receiving node to wake from passive reception mode and prepare for data reception. The preliminary wake-up signal ensures that when data transmission begins, the receiving node is already active and ready, minimizing response time while allowing the node to remain in low-power passive mode most of the time.
Data Source
AI summary
An underwater communications network comprising a plurality of communication nodes operable to wirelessly communicate with at least one other node in the network, each node having a transceiver and an observation mechanism wherein the observation mechanism is operable to monitor signals received by the transceiver and upon reception of a first predetermined tone the observation mechanism outputs a signal operable to adjust the node from a passive operation mode to an active operation mode. Each node can be a discreet underwater device.