Power Management and Security for Wireless Modules in "Machine-to-Machine" Communications

A method for a wireless module to transmit a sensor measurement, the method performed by the wireless module, the method comprising the wireless module:

• recording a first sleep timer, a module identity, a key, and a server address in a nonvolatile memory;
• using the first sleep timer to change (i) a processor from a sleep state to an active state and (ii) a radio from a radio off state to a connected state;
• transmitting a message to the server address, wherein the message includes the module identity and module encrypted data, wherein the module encrypted data is encrypted using the key, and wherein module encrypted data includes the sensor measurement;
• receiving a response, wherein the response includes a channel coding, a security token, and a module instruction, wherein the module instruction includes a second sleep timer;
• and
• changing (i) the processor from the active state to the sleep state, and (ii) the radio from the connected state to the radio off state, before the wireless module receives a radio resource connection release, wherein the processor uses the second sleep timer to determine a duration of the sleep state.

A method for supporting machine-to-machine communications, the method performed by a wireless module, the method comprising:

• reading from a nonvolatile memory (i) a module identity, (ii) a key, and (iii) a server address;
• changing a radio in the wireless module from a radio off state to a connected state, wherein the radio off state comprises the radio not utilizing a discontinuous receive (DRX) timer;
• transmitting a message to the server address, wherein the message comprises a user datagram protocol (UDP) packet, wherein the UDP packet includes module encrypted data, wherein the wireless module encrypts the module encrypted data using the key, and wherein the module encrypted data includes a sensor measurement and a security token;
• receiving a response to the message, wherein the response includes the security token and a digital signature for the security token;
• and
• changing (i) the processor from the active state to the sleep state, and (ii) the radio from the connected state to the radio off state.