Low power consumption mode for WLAN access point

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9717046-B2
Application number	US-201314411545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2013
Priority date	Jun 29, 2012
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

Method for managing the power consumption in a WLAN wireless communication network, comprising an access point device for access to the wireless network and a remote station connected to the access point device. The access point transmitting control and information frames to the remote station, the method comprising the steps of insertion of at least one item of information, into at least one of the control and information frames, relating to a future period of inactivity of the access point, of deactivation of the WLAN access point and of reactivation of the WLAN access point at the end of the period of inactivity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for managing power consumption in a device comprising a wireless local network access point device, said access point device transmitting control frames at regular times, wherein the method comprises:
evaluating a quantity of data transmitted and/or received by said wireless local network access point device, said evaluating delivering an evaluated quantity of data,
broadcasting, by said access point device, one of said control frames comprising at least one item of information from which a future period of inactivity of said access point device can be obtained, said period of inactivity being a period during which said access point device does not transmit on said wireless local network and processes no data from a station communicatively connected to said wireless local network, wherein said period of inactivity is a time period that is just before a time period dedicated to a broadcasting of next control frame at regular times, and wherein a duration of said period of inactivity of said access point device is defined according to said evaluated quantity of data, and wherein a ratio between an active period and the period of inactivity that are comprised between two regular emitted control frames is not the same,
deactivating at least one part of said access point device, and
activating said at least one part of said access point device at the end of said period of inactivity.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one deactivated then reactivated part of said access point device comprises a module for transmission of radio frequency waves.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the evaluating of the quantity of data transmitted comprises a measurement of a data bitrate.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the evaluating of the quantity of data transmitted comprises a definition of a number of communication sessions in progress.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein said sessions comprise a session corresponding to a service from among the following list: television, audio broadcasting, video on demand, file download, web page broadcasting.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said control frame is a “beacon” frame such as defined by WLAN standard 802.11-2012.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one item of information is inserted into the “Quiet Element” information field of a control frame such as defined in standard IEEE 802.11-2012.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein evaluating the quantity of data transmitted comprises analysis of the type of data transmitted.

9. A computer and non-transient storage medium storing a computer program comprising a set of computer-executable instructions to implement a method for managing power consumption in a device when the instructions are executed by a computer, wherein the instructions comprise instructions, which when executed, configure the computer to perform a method of claim 1 .

10. A device for communication in a wireless local network, said device comprising an access point for access to said wireless local network, wherein said device comprises a memory and at least one processor, said at least one processor being coupled to said memory, and said at least one processor being configured to:
transmit control frames at regular times,
determine a duration of a future period of inactivity of said access point based on evaluated quantity of data transmitted and/or received by said access point,
broadcast to at least two stations communicatively connected to said access point at least one item of information comprising said duration of a future period of inactivity, wherein said future period of inactivity is a time period that is just before a time period dedicated to a broadcasting of next control frame at regular times, and wherein a ratio between an active period and the period of inactivity that are comprised between two regular emitted control frames is not the same, and
deactivate all or part of said communication interface during said future period of inactivity.

11. The device according to claim 10 wherein said at least one processor is configured to act on at least one current feed line of said communication interface.

12. The device according to claim 10 wherein said at least one processor is configured to act on at least one clock line connected to said communication interface.

Assignees

• Thomson Licensing

Inventors

• Jeanne Ludovic
• Fontaine Patrick
• Chambelin Philippe

Classifications

• H04W52/0206 Primary

  in access points, e.g. base stations · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04W88/08

  Access point devices · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• Y02B60/50

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic