Method of reducing power consumption in a radio receiver

• US 20030203722A1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Matthew, Liu, Jerry J., Nishimura, Ken A., Martin, Robert T., Karlquist, Richard K., Higgins, Michael C.
• Application Number:
  US10/136,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20030203722A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Reduced power consumption in a receiver. Power consumption is reduced in a receiver by operating portions of the receiver such as the first RF amplifier, local oscillator, and associated phase locked loop at reduced power in a standby mode, trading lower power for lower performance. In a normal operating mode, these portions of the receiver operate at full power and performance.

Claims

1. A wireless digital device having a receiver, the receiver having a first normal operating mode and operating characteristics, and a second standby mode in which the receiver operates in a lower power mode having reduced operating characteristics.

2. The device of claim 1 where the receiver has a mixer fed by a local oscillator.

3. The device of claim 2 where a first local oscillator is used for the first normal operating mode, and a second local oscillator with reduced power consumption is used in the second standby mode.

4. The device of claim 2 where the mixer is a Gilbert Cell mixer having a first bias level in the first normal operating mode, and a second lower power bias mode in the second standby mode.

5. The device of claim 2 where the local oscillator comprises a phase locked loop which is operated in a first normal mode and a second lower power standby mode by altering phase locked loop parameters between the first and second modes.

6. The device of claim 5 where the phase locked loop includes a prescaler and the parameter altered is the prescaler ratio.

7. The device of claim 5 where the phase locked loop includes a reference oscillator and the parameter altered is the reference frequency.

8. The device of claim 5 where the phase locked loop includes a divider and the parameter altered is the divider ratio.

9. The device of claim 1 where the receiver has a receive RF amplifier which is used in the first operating mode and not used in the second standby mode.

10. In a wireless digital device having a receiver, the receiver having a first normal operating mode and operating characteristics, and a second standby mode in which the receiver operates in a lower power mode having reduced operating characteristics, switching the receiver between the second and first operating modes based on a received signal.

11. The device of claim 10 where the received signal is an unmodulated carrier.

12. The device of claim 10 where in the first normal operating mode the receiver receives digital data at a first data rate and in the second standby mode the receiver receives digital data at a second data rate.

13. The device of claim 12 where the second data rate is lower than the first data rate.

14. The device of claim 12 where the received signal contains a broadcast code.

15. The device of claim 12 where the received signal contains an identification code for the device.

16. The device of claim 15 where the identification code for the device is unique.

17. A wireless digital device having a first normal operating mode receiver and operating characteristics, and a second standby mode receiver with lower power consumption and reduced operating characteristics.

18. The device of claim 17 where the first and second receivers operate in the same frequency band.

19. The device of claim 17 where the first and second receivers operate in different frequency bands.

20. The device of claim 17 where the second receiver operates on a single fixed frequency.