Wi-Fi Adaptive Beacon Skipping for Battery Latency Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery-powered devices face a tradeoff between power conservation and latency due to periodic skipping of DTIM beacons, which increases latency by infrequent communication circuitry wake-ups.
Innovation Solution
Adaptive adjustment of the rate at which battery-powered devices receive DTIM beacons based on anticipated interactions, such as user activity, to balance power savings and reduced latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If battery-powered devices skip DTIM beacons periodically to conserve power, then power savings are improved, but latency increases due to infrequent communication circuitry wake-ups
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of DTIM beacon reception intervals based on device state and network conditions. The communication circuitry adapts its wake-up frequency dynamically - using longer intervals during low-activity periods to save power, and shorter intervals during high-activity periods to reduce latency, thus resolving the contradiction between power consumption and latency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the time interval parameter for DTIM beacon reception based on detected conditions. By adjusting the beacon reception interval parameter dynamically - extending it during idle periods and reducing it during active periods - the system optimizes both power consumption and latency performance across different operational scenarios
2Loss of time
If communication circuitry wakes frequently to receive DTIM beacons, then latency is reduced, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic DTIM beacon reception with variable intervals. Instead of continuous monitoring, the communication circuitry wakes up periodically at configured intervals to receive beacons, then returns to sleep mode. This periodic action pattern reduces overall power consumption while maintaining acceptable latency by optimizing the interval between wake-up events
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the periodic wake-up interval based on operational needs. During low-activity states, longer intervals reduce power consumption, while during high-activity states, shorter intervals reduce latency. This dynamic periodic action resolves the contradiction between power usage and latency
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2E
AI summary
A Wi-Fi chip is configured to operate in a power saving Wi-Fi mode in which the Wi-Fi chip repeatedly checks, at a first time interval, periodic DTIM beacons transmitted at a second time interval by a wireless access point of a Wi-Fi network, wherein the first time interval is longer than the second time interval. Upon receiving a standby message, the Wi-Fi chip, during a predefined time duration, operates in a standby mode in which the Wi-Fi chip checks at a third time interval periodic DTIM beacons transmitted by the wireless access point, wherein the third time interval is shorter than the first time interval.