Method and apparatus of neighbor cell management for reducing power consumption in a mobile communication terminal

• US 20070191049A1
• Filed: 01/08/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sang-Hyun
• Application Number:
  US11/650,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20070191049A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1308 Power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0088 Scheduling hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and a method of neighbor cell management for reducing power consumption in a mobile communication terminal. The method includes determining whether battery power reduces to a threshold value, checking if a number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than a predetermined number when the battery power reduces to the threshold value, and performing a power saving neighbor cell management mode when the number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than predetermined number.

Claims

1. A method of neighbor cell management in a mobile communication terminal, comprising the steps of:

determining whether battery power reduces to a threshold value;

checking if a number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than a predetermined number when the battery power reduces to the threshold value; and

performing a power saving neighbor cell management mode when the number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than the predetermined number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a normal neighbor cell management mode when the number of neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list is less than the predetermined number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold value of the battery power is 3.57V.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication terminal is a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) mobile communication terminal and the predetermined number is two.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the power saving neighbor cell management mode means that a number of cells among the neighbor cells have a longer synchronous acquisition period.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the number of cells of the neighbor cells are selected in an order of a lower Received Signal Strength Level (RSSL).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking if the number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to a number of originally set neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list;

monitoring whether there is a cell among a distant cell list having a higher Received Signal Strength Level (RSSL) than the RSSL of a second highest RSSL neighbor cell among the neighbor cell list when the number of the neighbor cells is equal to the number of originally set neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

changing a distant cell having a highest RSSL among the distant cell list to the neighbor cell list when the number of neighbor cells is less than the number of originally set neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

swapping a second highest RSSL neighbor cell among the neighbor cell list with a cell among a distant cell list having a higher RSSL than the RSSL of the second highest RSSL neighbor cell when a second highest RSSL neighbor cell is among the neighbor cell list with the cell among the distant cell list having a higher RSSL than the RSSL of the second highest RSSL neighbor cell.

10. A method of neighbor cell management in a mobile communication terminal, comprising the steps of:

determining whether a power saving mode is selected by a user;

checking if a number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than a predetermined number when the power saving mode is selected by the user; and

performing a power saving neighbor cell management mode when the number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than the predetermined number.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the power saving neighbor cell management mode means that a number of cells among the neighbor cells have a longer synchronous acquisition period.

12. A mobile communication terminal for neighbor. cell management comprising:

a controller for determining whether battery power reduces to a threshold value, checking if a number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than a predetermined number when the battery power reduces to the threshold value, and performing a power saving neighbor cell management mode when the number of neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than the predetermined number.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller performs a normal neighbor cell management mode when the number of neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list is less than the predetermined number.

14. The mobile communication terminal of claim 12, wherein the mobile communication terminal is a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) mobile communication terminal and the predetermined number is two.

15. The mobile communication terminal of claim 12, wherein the power saving neighbor cell management mode means that a number of cells among the neighbor cells have a longer synchronous acquisition period.

16. The mobile communication terminal of claim 15, wherein the number cells of the neighbor cells are selected in an order of a lower Received Signal Strength Level (RSSL).

17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller checks if the number of neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list is equal to a number of originally set neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list, and monitors whether there is a cell among a distant cell list having a higher Received Signal Strength Level (RSSL) than the RSSL of a second highest RSSL neighbor cell among the neighbor cell list when the number of the neighbor cells is equal to the number of originally set neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller changes a distant cell having a highest RSSL among the distant cell list to the neighbor cell list when the number of the neighbor cells is less than the number of originally set neighbor cells in the neighbor cell list.

19. A mobile communication terminal for neighbor cell management comprising:

an input means for an inputting power saving mode selection by a user; and

a controller determining whether a power saving mode is input by the user, checking if a number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than a predetermined number when the power saving mode is selected by the user, and performing a power saving neighbor cell management mode when the number of neighbor cells in a neighbor cell list is equal to or greater than the predetermined number.

20. The mobile communication terminal of claim 19, wherein the power saving neighbor cell management mode means that a number of cells among the neighbor cells have a longer synchronous acquisition period.