Reducing the power consumption of end devices in wireless mesh networks
AssigneeNXP USA, Inc.
InventorsDoru Cristian Gucea, Marius Preda, George Stefan
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Abstract
Systems and methods for reducing the power consumption of end devices in wireless mesh networks are described. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, an end device may include: a controller; and a memory coupled to the controller, wherein the memory comprises program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the controller, cause the end device to transmit a frame to a parent device in a wireless mesh network, wherein the frame has a Frame Pending (FP) bit set to indicate, to the parent device, that the end device is ready to receive data from the parent device in the absence of a subsequent data request.
Claims14
An end device, comprising:
- a controller;
- and
- a memory coupled to the controller, wherein the memory comprises program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the controller, cause the end device to:
- transmit a frame to a parent device in a wireless mesh network, wherein the frame has a Frame Pending (FP) bit set to indicate, to the parent device, that the end device is ready to receive data from the parent device in the absence of a subsequent data request;
- and
- receive an enhanced-acknowledgment (ACK) frame from the parent device, wherein the enhanced-ACK frame is sent to the end device in response to parent device receiving the frame, and wherein the enhanced-ACK frame comprises data encapsulated in a Media Access Control (MAC) payload section and a second FP bit set to indicate, to the end device, that the parent device is ready to transmit additional data to the end device before any data request from the end device subsequent to the enhanced-ACK frame is received by the parent device.
A parent device, comprising:
- a controller;
- and
- a memory coupled to the controller, wherein the memory comprises program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the controller, cause the parent device to transmit an enhanced-acknowledgment (ACK) frame to an end device in a wireless mesh network in response to the parent device receiving, from the end device, a frame having a first Frame Pending (FP) bit set to indicate to the parent device that the end device is ready to receive data from the parent device, wherein the enhanced-ACK frame comprises data encapsulated in a Media Access Control (MAC) payload section and a second FP bit set to indicate, to the end device, that the parent device is ready to transmit additional data to the end device before any data request from the end device subsequent to the enhanced-ACK frame is received by the parent device.
A method, comprising:
- transmitting a first frame from an end device to a parent device in a wireless mesh network, wherein the first frame has a Frame Pending (FP) bit set;
- in response to the first frame, transmitting an enhanced-acknowledgement (ACK) frame from the parent device to the end device, wherein the enhanced-ACK frame comprises data encapsulated in a Media Access Control (MAC) payload section and a second FP bit set to indicate, to the end device, that the parent device is ready to transmit additional data to the end device before any data request from the end device subsequent to the enhanced-ACK frame is received by the parent device;
- and
- maintaining the end device in an active state at least until a second frame is transmitted by the parent device to the end device with an FP bit unset.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.