Wireless device and a method therein for performing one or more operations based on available energy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10834676-B2
Application number	US-201616337249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 29, 2016
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

A wireless device and a method therein for performing one or more operations based on available energy. The wireless device is configured to operate in a wireless communications network. Based on an amount of energy available for operation and based on control information, the wireless device determines an allocation of the amount of available energy between at least a first energy part and a second energy part. The first energy part is to be used in a sensing operation using a sensing operation configuration and the second energy part is to be used in a communicating operation using a communicating operation configuration. The wireless device performs based on the determined allocation, one or more operations out of: the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration, and the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed by a wireless device for performing one or more operations based on available energy, wherein the wireless device is configured to operate in a wireless communications network, and wherein the method comprises:
based on an amount of energy available for operation and based on control information and prior to performing a sensing operation using a sensing operation configuration and prior to performing a communicating operation using a communicating operation configuration, determining an allocation of the amount of available energy between at least a first energy part and a second energy part, wherein the first energy part of the amount of available energy is to be used in the sensing operation using the sensing operation configuration and the second energy part of the amount of available energy is to be used in the communicating operation using the communicating operation configuration; and
performing based on the determined allocation, one or more operations out of: the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration, and the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration,
wherein the control information comprises information relating to a priority relation between the sensing operation and the communicating operation, and
wherein the sensing configuration comprises one or more of: an amount of time for the sensing operation; information relating to one or more sensors to be enabled when performing the sensing operation, and information relating to the accuracy of resolution and sampling frequency of the sensing operation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information comprises information relating to one or more out of: a pre-configuration of the wireless device, historic data of one or more previously performed sensing and/or communicating operations, a first predefined energy consumption per sensing operation for performing the sensing operation using one or more sensors, a second energy consumption per communicating operation for performing the communicating operation.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the amount of energy available for operation based on a predicted amount of energy available for operation at a future point of time.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
based on the amount of available energy for operation and based on the control information, determining the sensing operation configuration available for the sensing operation; and the communicating operation configuration available for the communicating operation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating configuration comprises one or more of: information relating to a prioritisation of data to be communicated, a time duration for the communicating operation, a resolution of data to be communicated, an available point of time for performing a signal strength measurement, and a bandwidth for performing the signal strength measurement.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
deriving energy from an external source; and
storing the derived energy in an energy storage unit, wherein the energy is one or more of: solar energy, thermal energy, wind energy, energy from salinity gradients, kinetic energy; and energy from an external battery.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing information relating to a performed sensing operation in a data storage unit;
retrieving information from the data storage unit, and wherein the performing of the communicating operation comprises communicating the retrieved information to a network node operating in the wireless communications network.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing operation comprises a plurality of sensor operation parts, and wherein the performing of the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration comprises:
performing each sensor operation part out of the plurality of sensor operation parts using a fraction of the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the one or more operations out of: the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration, and the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration comprises:
performing the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration; and
when the second energy part is sufficient for performing the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration, performing the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining whether or not the second energy part is sufficient for performing the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the one or more operations out of: the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration, and the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration comprises:
performing the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration; and
when the first energy part is sufficient for performing the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration, performing the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining whether or not the first energy part is sufficient for performing the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration.

13. A wireless device for performing one or more operations based on available energy, wherein the wireless device is configured to operate in a wireless communications network, and wherein the wireless device is configured to:
based on an amount of energy available for operation and based on control information and prior to performing a sensing operation using a sensing operation configuration and prior to performing a communicating operation using a communicating operation configuration, determine an allocation of the amount of available energy between at least a first energy part and a second energy part, wherein the first energy part of the amount of available energy is to be used in the sensing operation using the sensing operation configuration and the second energy part of the amount of available energy is to be used in the communicating operation using the communicating operation configuration; and
perform based on the determined allocation one or more operations out of: the sensing operation using the first energy part and the sensing operation configuration, and the communicating operation using the second energy part and the communicating operation configuration,
wherein the control information comprises information relating to a priority relation between the sensing operation and the communicating operation, and
wherein the sensing configuration comprises one or more of: an amount of time for the sensing operation; information relating to one or more sensors to be enabled when performing the sensing operation, and information relating to the accuracy of resolution and sampling frequency of the sensing operation.

14. The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein the control information comprises in

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Lindoff Bengt
• Andersson Lars
• Astrom Magnus
• Nordstrom Fredrik
• Reial Andres

Classifications

• H04B7/0619

  using feedback from receiving side (feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001) · CPC title

• H04B7/0602

  using antenna switching (H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24) · CPC title

• H04B7/0617

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04B7/06

  at the transmitting station · CPC title

• H04B7/0615

  of weighted versions of same signal · CPC title