Methods of controlling transmission power level based on remaining power level in immediately preceding time period

• US 10,251,137 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Joo-han, Do, Joo-hyun, Bae, Jung-hwa, Kim, Min-goo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US15/603,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 455522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/225 Calculation of statistics, e.g. average, variance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range

Abstract

A method of controlling transmission power used for wireless transmission in a wireless communication device including calculating a remaining power level of a third period based on a tolerant power level of a first period and a remaining power level of a second period, the third period included in the first period and being a period from a current time to a point in time following the current time, the second period being a period from the current time to a point in time preceding the current time, calculating a transmission power level of the third period based on a target power level and the remaining power level of the third period, and generating a power control signal for determining a power level of a transmission signal unit based on the transmission power level of the third period may be provided.

Claims

1. A method of controlling transmission power used for wireless transmission in a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

calculating a remaining power level of a third period based on a tolerant power level of a first period and a remaining power level of a second period, the third period included in the first period and being a period from a current time to a point in time following the current time, the second period being a period from the current time to a point in time preceding the current time, the tolerant power level being a total transmission power level available to the wireless communication device for the wireless transmission during a certain period;

calculating a transmission power level of the third period based on a target power level and the remaining power level of the third period; and

generating a power control signal for determining a power level of a transmission signal unit based on the transmission power level of the third period,

wherein the calculating of the transmission power level of the third period comprises,

comparing the remaining power level of the third period with at least one of a plurality of reference levels, and

determining the transmission power level of the third period based on results of the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first period is equal to a sum of the second period and the third period, and

the calculating of the remaining power level of the third period comprises,

calculating a tolerant power level of the third period from the tolerant power level of the first period, and

adding the remaining power level of the second period to the tolerant power level of the third period to calculate the remaining power level of the third period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the transmission power level of the third period comprises:

determining a maximum transmission power level as one of a plurality of limit levels based on the results of the comparing, the plurality of limit levels corresponding to the plurality of reference levels, respectively; and

determining the transmission power level of the third period as a lower one of the maximum transmission power level and the target power level.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the plurality of reference levels comprise a first reference level and a second reference level which is higher than the first reference level,

the plurality of limit levels comprise first and second limit levels, the first and second limit levels corresponding to the first and second reference levels, respectively, and

the second limit level is equal to or more than the first limit level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the transmission power level of the third period comprises:

determining a final backoff level as one of a plurality of backoff levels based on results of the comparing, the plurality of backoff levels corresponding to the plurality of reference levels, respectively; and

subtracting the final backoff level from the target power level to determine the transmission power level of the third period.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the plurality of reference levels comprise a first reference level and a second reference level which is higher than the first reference level,

the plurality of backoff levels comprise first and second backoff levels, the first and second backoff levels corresponding to the first and second reference levels, respectively, and

the second backoff level is equal to or less than the first backoff level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the power control signal comprises generating the power control signal so that a total power level which is used in a series of transmission signal units during the third period becomes equal to or less than the transmission power level of the third period.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating of the power control signal comprises generating the power control signal so that the power level of the transmission signal unit becomes equal to or more than a minimum power level for maintaining a connection with the wireless communication device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tolerant power level of the first period is determined based on a limit of a specific absorption rate (SAR).

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating the remaining power level of the second period based on a tolerant power level of the first period and a transmission power level of the second period.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein

the second period comprises a plurality of sub-periods, each of the plurality of sub-periods corresponding to two or more transmission signal units, and

the calculating of the remaining power level of the second period further comprises calculating the remaining power level of the second period based on a plurality of partial remaining power levels corresponding to the plurality of sub-periods.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a status signal generated in the wireless communication device, the status signal representing a status of the wireless communication device; and

adjusting the tolerant power level of the first period or the transmission power level of the second period based on information included in the status signal,

wherein the calculating of the remaining power level of the second period comprises calculating the remaining power level of the second period based on one of the adjusted tolerant power level of the first period and the adjusted transmission power level of the second period, and

wherein the calculating of the remaining power level of the third period comprises calculating the remaining power level of the third period based on one of the adjusted tolerant power level of the first period and the adjusted transmission power level of the second period.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the status signal comprises distance information generated by sensing a distance between the wireless communication device and a user, and

the adjusting of the tolerant power level of the first period or the transmission power level of the second period comprises adjusting the tolerant power level of the first period to be proportional to a distance represented by the distance information, or adjusting the transmission power level of the second period to be inversely proportional to the distance.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein

the status signal comprises direction information generated by sensing a direction of a user with respect to the wireless communication device, and

the adjusting of the tolerant power level of the first period or the transmission power level of the second period comprises adjusting the tolerant power level of the first period to be inversely proportional to a correlation between a direction represented by the direction information and beamforming, or adjusting the transmission power level of the second period to be proportional to the correlation.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein

the status signal comprises angle information generated by sensing an angle of the wireless communication device, and

the adjusting of the tolerant power level of the first period or the transmission power level of the second period comprises adjusting the tolerant power level of the first period to be inversely proportional to a correlation between an angle represented by the angle information and an angle of the wireless communication device being used, or adjusting the transmission power level of the second period to be proportional to the correlation.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein

the status signal comprises channel information about a communication channel, the communication channel established between the wireless communication device and another device in a wireless communication scheme, the communication channel being a channel different from an uplink channel and a downlink channel for the wireless transmission, and

the adjusting of the tolerant power level of the first period or the transmission power level of the second period comprises, downwardly adjusting the tolerant power level of the first period or upwardly adjusting the transmission power level of the second period when the channel information represents activation of the communication channel.

10. A method of controlling transmission power used for wireless transmission in a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

calculating a remaining power level of a third period based on a tolerant power level of a first period and a remaining power level of a second period, the third period included in the first period and being a period from a current time to a point in time following the current time, the second period being a period from the current time to a point in time preceding the current time, the tolerant power level being a total transmission power level available to the wireless communication device for the wireless transmission during a certain period;

calculating a transmission power level of the third period based on a target power level and the remaining power level of the third period; and

generating a power control signal for determining a power level of a transmission signal unit based on the transmission power level of the third period,

wherein the first period is less than a sum of the second period and the third period, and

the calculating of the remaining power level of the third period comprises,

calculating a tolerant power level of the third period from the tolerant power level of the first period, and

calculating the remaining power level of the third period so that the remaining power level of the third period becomes a sum of the tolerant power level of the third period and a value obtained by adjusting the remaining power level of the second period by a weight value.

18. A method of controlling transmission power used for wireless transmission in a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

calculating, by a controller, remaining emission energy of a third period based on tolerant emission energy of a first period and used energy which was emitted for the wireless transmission during a second period, the third period included in the first period and being a period from a current time to a point in time following the current time, the second period being from the current time to a point in time preceding the current time, the tolerant emission energy being a total transmission energy available to the wireless communication device for the wireless transmission during a certain period;

calculating, by the controller, a transmission power level of the third period based on the remaining emission energy of the third period and a target power level of the third period; and

generating, by the controller, a power control signal for controlling a power level of a transmission signal unit based on the transmission power level,

wherein the calculating of the transmission power level of the third period comprises,

comparing the remaining power level of the third period with at least one of a plurality of reference levels, and

determining the transmission power level of the third period based on results of the comparing.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

calculating the used energy from a cumulative power level which has been used to transmit a signal during the second period.