METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DECREASING POWER-ON TIME FOR SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIOS

• US 20060014574A1
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Global Communications, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Linn, Charles Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,003,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• 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

A technique for decreasing the amount of time needed to turn on a software-defined radio provides an operator of the radio the ability to turn the radio off and subsequently turn the radio on, wherein the radio is turned on much more quickly than a radio not using the herein described technique. The technique places the radio in a suspended state when off and retains selected parameters associated with selected applications and software portions. Preferably, the radio is placed in a low power consumption state concurrently with the suspended state. Thus the radio conserves power, thus increasing battery life. When the operator turns the radio on, the radio is restored to a fully function state utilizing the retained parameters.

Claims

1. A method for decreasing power-on time of a software-defined radio comprising a hardware portion, an application portion, and an operating environment portion, said method comprising:

in response to a power-off signal, removing electrical power from at least one hardware component of said hardware portion;

in response to said power-off signal, configuring said application portion to be in an application portion suspended state, wherein;

selected application parameters are retained in said application portion;

in response to said power-off signal, configuring said operating environment portion to be in an operating environment suspended state, wherein;

selected operating environment parameters are retained in said operating environment portion;

in response to a power-on signal, restoring power to said at least one hardware component of said hardware portion;

in response to said power-on signal, restoring said application portion to an application portion operational state utilizing said retained selected application portion parameters;

in response to said power-on signal, restoring said operating environment portion to an operating environment portion operational state utilizing said retained selected operating environment parameters.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

in response to said power-off signal configuring said software-defined radio to be in a low power consumption state.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said low power consumption state includes providing residual power to selected portions of said software-defined radio for maintaining an electrical charge on selected electronic devices.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said application portion operational state comprises one of a previously configured application portion operational state and a predetermined application portion operational state; and

said operating environment portion operational state comprises one of a previously configured operating environment portion operational state and a predetermined operating environment portion operational state.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said software-defined radio includes at least one application selected from the group consisting of an emergency transmission application, FM voice, data communications, global positioning system (GPS) position transmission, and frequency hopping.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said hardware components comprise at least one of a transmitter, a receiver, an analog to digital converter, a digital to analog converter, a demodulator, and a modulator.

7. A system for decreasing power-on time of a software-defined radio, said system comprising:

a power control portion configured to receive a selected power status of said software-defined radio and one of provide power to selected portions of said software-defined radio and remove power from selected portions of said software-defined radio in response to said selected power status;

a fast-on control portion configured to configure selected portions of said software-defined radio to be in one of a suspended state and an operational state in response to said selected power status;

an application portion comprising radio related applications, wherein

selected radio related applications are configured to be in one of a suspended state and an operational state responsive to said selected power status;

an operating environment portion comprising radio related software portions, wherein;

selected radio related software portions are configured to be in one of a suspended state and an operational state responsive to said selected power status; and

a hardware portion comprising hardware components, wherein;

power to selected hardware components is one of provided and removed in response to said selected power status.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7, wherein:

selected portions of said software-defined radio are configured to be in a low power consumption state concurrent with said selected radio related applications and said selected radio related software portions being configured to be in said respective suspend states.

9. A system in accordance with claim 7, wherein:

said power control portion is configured to provide residual power to selected portions of said software-defined radio for maintaining an electrical charge on selected electronic devices.

10. A system in accordance with claim 7, wherein:

said software-defined radio includes at least one application selected from the group consisting of an emergency transmission application, FM voice, data communications, global positioning system (GPS) position transmission, and frequency hopping; and

said hardware components comprise at least one of a transmitter, a receiver, an analog to digital converter, a digital to analog converter, a demodulator, and a modulator.

11. A computer readable medium encoded with a computer program code for decreasing power-on time of a software-defined radio comprising a hardware portion, an application portion, and an system environment portion, said program code comprising:

a first code segment for causing a processor to remove electrical power from at least one hardware component of said hardware portion, in response to a power-off signal;

a second code segment for causing said processor to configure said application portion to be in an application portion suspended state in response to said power-off signal, wherein;

selected application parameters are retained in said application portion;

a third code segment for causing said processor to configure said operating environment portion to be in an operating environment portion suspended state in response to said power-off signal, wherein;

selected operating environment parameters are retained in said operating environment portion;

a fourth code segment for causing said processor to restore power to said at least one hardware component of said hardware portion in response to a power-on signal;

a fifth code segment for causing said processor to restore said application portion to an application portion operational state utilizing said retained selected application portion parameters in response to said power-on signal; and

a sixth code segment for causing said processor to restore said operating environment portion to an operating environment portion operational state utilizing said retained selected operating environment parameter in response to said power-on signal.

12. A computer readable medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein said program code further comprises:

a seventh code segment for causing said processor to configure said software-defined radio to be in a low power consumption state in response to said power-off signal.

13. A computer readable medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said low power consumption state includes providing residual power to selected portions of said software-defined radio for maintaining an electrical charge on selected electronic devices.

14. A computer readable medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said application portion operational state comprises one of a previously configured application portion operational state and a predetermined application portion operational state; and

said operating environment portion operational state comprises one of a previously configured operating environment portion operational state and a predetermined operating environment portion operational state.

15. A computer readable medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said software-defined radio includes at least one application selected from the group consisting of an emergency transmission application, FM voice, data communications, global positioning system (GPS) position transmission, and frequency hopping.

16. A computer readable medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said hardware components comprise at least one of a transmitter, a receiver, an analog to digital converter, a digital to analog converter, a demodulator, and a modulator.