Mobile communication device with low power signal detector

• US 20070082647A1
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza, Behzad, Arya
• Granted Patent: US 8,532,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/343.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• 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 mobile communication device comprising a low power signal detector and a manner of utilizing a low power signal detector in a mobile communication device. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise a first module adapted to receive a communication signal. A second module may be adapted to operate in a plurality of operating modes, comprising a first mode and a second mode. The first mode may, for example, comprise characteristics of a sleep mode. The second module may, in the second mode, process the received communication signal (e.g., determining information communicated by the received communication signal). A third module may be adapted to determine, based at least in part on a non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal, whether to operate the second module in the first mode or in the second mode.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device comprising:

a first module adapted to receive a communication signal;

a second module adapted to operate in a plurality of modes comprising;

a first mode substantially characterized by sleep mode characteristics; and

a second mode, in which the second module processes the received communication signal; and

a third module adapted to determine, based at least in part on a non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal, whether to operate the second module in the second mode.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein in the first mode, the second module is adapted to perform no processing on the received communication signal.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein in the second mode, the second module is adapted to determine information carried by the received communication signal.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the third module is adapted to determine the non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal at the RF level.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the third module is adapted to determine the non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal at the baseband level.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the third module is adapted to:

determine an amount of energy associated with the received communication signal; and

determine whether to operate the second module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined amount of energy.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the third module is adapted to:

determine a frequency characteristic of the received communication signal; and

determine whether to operate the second module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined frequency characteristic.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the third module is adapted to:

determine a time characteristic associated with the received communication signal; and

determine whether to operate the second module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined time characteristic.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the third module is adapted to:

determine a modulation characteristic associated with the received communication signal; and

determine whether to operate the second module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined time characteristic.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the third module is adapted to:

determine a communication protocol characteristic associated with the received communication signal; and

determine whether to operate the second module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined communication protocol characteristic.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one module is adapted to:

determine information communicated by the received communication signal; and

determine, based at least in part on the determined information, whether to wake additional circuitry from a sleep state.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the first and second modules are integrated into a single integrated circuit.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third modules are integrated into a single integrated circuit.

14. In a mobile communication device comprising a first module adapted to operate in a first mode, substantially characterized by sleep mode characteristics, and a second mode, in which the first module processes a received communication signal, a method for operating the mobile communication device in an energy-efficient manner, the method comprising:

operating the first module in the first mode;

receiving a communication signal;

analyzing at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal to determine whether to operate the first module in the second mode to process the received communication signal; and

if it is determined to operate the first module in the second mode, then operating the first module in the second mode to process the received communication signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein operating the first module in the first mode comprises performing no processing on the received communication signal with the first module.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein operating the first module in the second mode to process the received communication signal comprises determining information carried by the received communication signal.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal comprises determining the at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal at the RF level.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal comprises determining the at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal at the baseband level.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal comprises:

determining an amount of energy associated with the received communication signal; and

determining whether to operate the first module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined amount of energy.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal comprises:

determining a frequency characteristic of the received communication signal; and

determining whether to operate the first module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined frequency characteristic.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal comprises:

determining a time characteristic associated with the received communication signal; and

determining whether to operate the first module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined time characteristic.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal comprises:

determining a modulation characteristic associated the received communication signal; and

determining whether to operate the first module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined modulation characteristic.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing at least one non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal comprises:

determining a communication protocol characteristic associated the received communication signal; and

determining whether to operate the first module in the second mode based, at least in part, on the determined communication protocol characteristic.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining information communicated by the received communication signal; and

determining, based at least in part on the determined information, whether to wake additional circuitry from a sleep state.