WLAN Power Estimation for Thermal Control in Battery Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems struggle to efficiently manage power consumption and thermal mitigation in battery-powered devices, particularly in artificial reality systems like VR, AR, or MR, leading to potential device damage and reduced user experience.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for estimating average power consumption by measuring transmission, reception, and listen times in wireless communication, and adjusting power consumption based on these metrics, along with thermal management to prevent overheating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wireless communication operations (Tx, Rx, listen states) are performed continuously to maintain network connectivity and data transmission, then communication reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the wireless device's operational state adjustable and adaptive. The device dynamically transitions between different operational modes (continuous operation, reduced operation, sleep mode) based on power consumption estimates, allowing the system to optimize between communication reliability and power consumption rather than operating in a fixed state
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through continuous monitoring of power consumption across different operational states (Tx, Rx, listen). The estimated power consumption values feed back into the decision-making process, enabling the device to adjust its communication behavior based on real-time power conditions and thermal constraints
2Productivity
If transmission power and communication activity are increased to maintain performance in battery-powered devices, then user experience and data rate are improved, but thermal stress and power consumption exceed device limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing power consumption estimation and thermal assessment before actually increasing transmission power or communication activity. The system evaluates whether the device can sustain higher power operations based on current battery status and thermal conditions, preventing harmful thermal stress before it occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes operational parameters (transmission power level, communication activity duration, operational mode) based on estimated power consumption and thermal conditions. The system adjusts these parameters dynamically to maintain data rate within safe thermal limits, rather than operating at fixed maximum values
3Reliability
If power consumption estimation is performed continuously to enable real-time thermal management, then device protection is improved, but processing overhead and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the wireless device to autonomously estimate its own power consumption across different operational states without requiring external monitoring equipment. The device performs self-diagnosis and self-management of its power and thermal status, reducing the need for complex external control systems
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include one or more processors. The one or more processors may be configured to obtain, from a device configured to perform communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a transmission (Tx) time for which the device is transmitting one or more signals during a period of time, a receive (Rx) time for which the device is receiving one or more signals during the period of time, and/or a listen time for which the device is in a listen state during the period of time. The one or more processors may be configured to estimate, based at least on the Tx time, the Rx time and the listen time, an average power consumption value of the device during the period of time. The one or more processors may be configured to control the device based at least on the average power consumption value.