System and method for power saving in wireless communication apparatus

摘要

A wireless communication apparatus includes a power switch unit that switches a power supplied from a battery, and a timer unit that measures a time period through a power supplied from the battery. The power switch unit is turned on upon receiving a trigger for turning on the power supply and turned off upon receiving a trigger for turning off the power supply. When a wireless unit and a control unit are supplied with the power through the power switch unit in accordance with the trigger for turning on the power supply, the control unit controls to receive a wireless signal from a different wireless communication apparatus, and the control unit then sets a given value of the expiration of the time period in the timer unit and outputs the trigger for turning off the power supply to the power supply control unit.

主权项

1. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:
a controller; a wireless communicator that wirelessly communicates with a different wireless communication apparatus; a power switch that switches power supplied to the controller and the wireless communicator from a power supply; a power supply controller that controls an on/off operation of the power switch upon receipt of a trigger for turning on/off the power supply; and a timer that outputs to the power supply controller at expiration of a time period the trigger for turning on the power supply: a state memory that receives a power supplied from the power supply at all times and stores an operating state of the wireless communication apparatus therein, wherein the controller writes information that indicates an out-of-service state to the state memory and searches for another wireless signal transmitted from the different wireless communication apparatus when the wireless signal is unable to be received, and writes information that indicates an in-service state to the state memory and intermittently receives the wireless signal transmitted from the different wireless communication apparatus; and when the wireless communicator and the controller are supplied with the power through the power switch, the controller controls the wireless communicator to receive a wireless signal from the different wireless communication apparatus, and the controller sets a given value for the expiration of the time period and outputs to the power supply controller the trigger for turning off the power supply, and in the intermittent reception operation, the controller sets a value in the timer for when the power supply is to be turned on next and the value for when the power supply is to be turned on next is based on a difference between an assumed reception timing of a control signal from the different wireless communication apparatus and a timing when the control signal is actually received.