System and method for personal area network (PAN) distributed global optimization

• Main Author: GANTON ROBERT BRUCE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.10.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION ANDCOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION ANDCOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THIR OWNENERGY USE; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION; WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

A system and method are presented for actively evaluating and adjusting device energy consumption in a personal area network (PAN). The method comprises: polling devices in the PAN to determine respective energy metrics; and, establishing network communications between devices using the energy metrics. More specifically, a master device establishes network communications rules between the devices as a result of the polling activity. The master device identifies energy metrics including the battery charge status for devices powered by battery and device link energy metrics associated with network link communication operations, determines the priority of operation for the devices, and optimizes device battery life in response to the energy metrics and the priority of operation for the devices. In a specific example of the invention, a Bluetooth network, the method comprises: establishing a piconet with one device functioning as a master device and at least one other device functioning as a slave device; polling devices to determine respective energy metrics; the master device identifying energy metrics including the battery charge status and device link energy metrics; the master device determining the priority of operation for the devices; the master device optimizing device battery life in response to the energy metrics and the priority of operation for the devices by modifying link states between devices, the link state including device scan rate, device mode setting, and device network role.