Power saving for an optical wireless communication system
AssigneeSignify Holding B.V.
InventorAndries VAN WAGENINGEN
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Abstract
Power saving is achieved in an optical wireless communication (VLC/LiFi) system by using a polling-based medium access control (MAC) scheme, wherein an access point can use a silent period when no one is polled (and EPs can thus sleep). When transmission queues are empty, the access point may apply the silent period which may be based on a minimum polling interval announced by broadcast.
Claims15
An access point for providing access to an optical wireless communication network, the access point configured to be coupled to one or more optical transceivers for communication with multiple associated end points, the access point comprising an apparatus for controlling communication in an optical wireless communication network via adaptive polling medium access control, wherein the apparatus is configured to:
- poll associated endpoints of the communication network for initiating a data exchange,
- receive from the associated endpoints information about a remaining transmission queue length at the end of the data exchange,
- determine a silent period to be smaller than or equal to a smallest polling interval of the associated endpoints, and
- apply the silent period in response to the status of transmission queues of associated endpoints.
A method for an access point of controlling polling-based communication in an optical wireless communication network, the access point coupled to one or more optical transceivers for communication with multiple associated end points, the method comprising:
- polling associated endpoints of the communication network to initiate a data exchange;
- receiving from the associated endpoints information indicating a remaining transmission queue length at the end of the data exchange;
- determine a silent period to be smaller than or equal to a smallest polling interval of the associated endpoints;
- and
- applying a silent period based on the status of transmission queues of associated endpoints.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.