Sony patents devices that tell networks when they are out of power
Sony describes a method for wireless devices to predict when their battery or energy source will run out while they are not actively sending data. The device sends a specific message to the network to pause communication, then sends another message once it has enough energy to reconnect.
In the filing’s own words
A user equipment includes transceiver circuitry, control circuitry for controlling the transceiver circuitry and an energy storage device configured to provide energy to at least the transceiver circuitry for transmitting signals to or receiving signals from the wireless communications network. The energy storage device may receive energy from ambient sources and may therefore increase an amount of available energy by using energy harvesting. The user equipment is configured to determine, during an idle or inactive mode in which the user equipment has no active connection for transmitting data to or receiving data from the wireless communications network that an amount of energy which is available from the energy storage device will be insufficient for operating the transceiver circuitry during a blackout period, and to transmit to the infrastructure equipment a blackout message indicating that the user equipment cannot receive signals transmitted from the infrastructure equipment for the blackout period.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A user equipment forming a wireless communications device operating with a wireless communications network, the user equipment comprising transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals via a wireless access interface of the wireless communications network and configured to receive signals transmitted via the wireless access interface, control circuitry configured to control the transceiver circuitry to transmit the signals to or receive the signals from the wireless communications network, and an energy storage device configured to provide energy to at least the transceiver circuitry for transmitting the signals to or receiving the signals from the wireless communications network, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine, during an idle or inactive mode in which the user equipment has no active connection for transmitting data to or receiving data from the wireless communications network, that an amount of energy which is available from the energy storage device will be insufficient for operating the transceiver circuitry during a blackout period, during which the transceiver circuitry cannot receive one or more signals transmitted from the wireless communications network or transmit signals to the wireless communications network, to transmit to the wireless communications network a blackout message indicating that the user equipment cannot receive one or more signals transmitted from the wireless communications network for the blackout period, to monitor, during the blackout period, the amount of energy available from the energy storage device, to determine that there is sufficient energy which can be provided from the energy storage device to operate the transceiver circuitry, and to transmit a blackout complete message to the wireless communications network indicating that the user equipment can receive signals.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (Sony Group Corporation)
- Official title
- User equipment, wireless communications network and methods
- Patent number
- US12772172B2
- Application number
- 18686513
- Filed
- Jul 19, 2022
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 19
Classified under
H04W 52/0235 Electricity & electronicsH04W 52/0277 Electricity & electronicsMore from Sony in Networks & wireless
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.