Reduction of Power Consumption in Wireless Communication Terminals

• US 20080108397A1
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Piipponen, Antti, Parssinen, Aarno
• Granted Patent: US 10,296,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The invention relates to a mechanism for decreasing power consumption in a wireless terminal intended for a communication system where availability of a common air medium is to be determined by the terminal prior to transmission. The terminal selects at least one communication device as a communicating peer and adjusts receiver performance based on received signal strength and optionally other parameters measured from at least one of the at least one wireless communication device, the receiver performance being adjusted for listening to the at least one wireless communication device with reduced power consumption. The terminal further generates an indication when its own transmission is approaching and readjusts the receiver performance for determining the availability of the common air medium at a performance level enabling detection of devices that may be disturbed by said own transmission.

Claims

1. A method for decreasing power consumption in a wireless communication terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one communication device as a communicating peer in a wireless communication system;

measuring a signal quality variable from at least one of the at least one communication device selected in the selecting step, each signal quality variable being measured based on a signal received from a respective one of the at least one communication device selected in the selecting step, whereby at least one signal quality variable is obtained;

adjusting receiver performance based on at least one of the at least one signal quality variable obtained in the measuring step, the adjusting step being performed for reducing power consumption while ensuring reception of respective signals from the at least one communication device selected in the selecting step;

monitoring if the wireless communication terminal'"'"'s own transmission is approaching; and

readjusting receiver performance for determining availability of a common air medium at a performance level enabling detection of transmitting communication devices within a coverage area of said own transmission, the readjusting step being performed when the monitoring step indicates that said own transmission is approaching.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting and readjusting steps include adjusting receiver sensitivity.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring step includes measuring the signal quality variable from each of the at least one communication device, and wherein each signal quality variable measured is indicative of signal strength received from the corresponding communication device.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of determining a device-specific signal-to-noise-ratio for each of the at least one communication device, each device-specific signal-to-noise-ratio indicating a signal-to-noise ratio value required to listen to the communication device concerned.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of defining a maximum amount of receiver noise allowed for each of the at least one communication device, wherein the maximum amount of receiver noise allowed for a communication device is defined based on the minimum signal-to-noise-ratio determined for that device in the determining step and on the received signal strength measured for that device in the measuring step.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the selecting step includes selecting a plurality of communication devices.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of choosing one of the plurality of communication devices, the choosing step being performed based on the maximum amount of receiver noise defined for the at least one communication device in the defining step.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the adjusting step includes adjusting the receiver sensitivity based on the chosen communication device only, the adjusting being performed for listening to said plurality of communication devices.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the adjusting step includes adjusting receiver sensitivity based on one of the plurality of communication devices at a time.

10. A method according to claim 2, wherein the readjusting step includes maximizing receiver sensitivity.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of determining transmission power for said own transmission.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the readjusting step includes a sub-step of determining receiver sensitivity based on the transmission power determined.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

determining the availability of the common air medium using the sensitivity determined in the determining sub-step; and

performing said own transmission.

14. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of defining interfering power received in the communication terminal, the interfering power being indicative of a level of interference caused by external interferers.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the adjusting and readjusting steps include adjusting the dynamic range of the receiver.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the defining step includes defining the total co-channel power.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein the defining step includes defining the intermodulation power.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the defining step includes defining the power of an adjacent channel.

19. A method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of determining a device-specific signal-to-interference-ratio for each of the at least one communication device, each device-specific signal-to-interference-ratio indicating a signal-to-interference ratio value required to listen to the communication device concerned.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the adjusting step includes adjusting the dynamic range based on the interfering power defined in the defining step and on the device-specific signal-to-interference ratio of one of the at least one communication device.

21. A method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting step includes selecting an access point as the communicating peer.

22. A method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting step includes selecting at least one other wireless communication terminal as the communicating peer.

23. A method according to claim 4, wherein the determining step includes determining the device-specific signal-to-noise ratio for each of the at least one communication device by calculating a minimum signal-to-noise ratio for each of the at least one wireless communication device and adding a predetermined safety margin to the minimum signal-to-noise ratio.

24. A method according to claim 19, wherein the determining step includes determining the device-specific signal-to-interference ratio for each of the at least one communication device by calculating a minimum signal-to-interference ratio for each of the at least one wireless communication device and adding a predetermined safety margin to the minimum signal-to-interference ratio.

25. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting step includes at least one operation from a group including reduction of a biasing current, reduction of a supply voltage, and by-pass of a selected receiver stage.

26. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting step includes a sub-step of controlling several receiver blocks, each block being controlled separately.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the controlling sub-step includes retrieving control information for each block from a look-up table.

28. A method according to claim 26, wherein the controlling sub-step includes calculating control information in order to minimize power consumption.

29. A method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring step includes measuring the signal quality variable from each of the at least one communication device, and wherein each signal quality variable is indicative of an error rate of a signal received from the corresponding communication device.

30. A wireless communication terminal for a wireless communication system, the wireless communication terminal comprising:

selection means for selecting at least one communication device as a communicating peer in the communication system;

first measurement means for measuring a signal quality variable from at least one of the at least one communication device, each signal quality variable being measured based on a signal received from a respective one of the at least one communication device, whereby at least one signal quality variable is obtained;

first performance control means for adjusting receiver performance based on at least one of the at least one signal quality variable, thereby to permit the wireless communication terminal to receive respective signals from the at least one communication device with reduced power consumption;

monitoring means for monitoring if the wireless communication terminal'"'"'s own transmission is approaching; and

second performance control means for adjusting receiver performance to a performance level enabling the terminal to detect transmitting communication devices within a coverage area of said own transmission, the second performance control means being configured to operate when the monitoring means indicate that said own transmission is approaching.

31. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 30, wherein the first and second performance control means are configured to control receiver sensitivity.

32. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 31, wherein the at least one signal quality variable is indicative of signal strength.

33. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 32, further comprising calculation means for calculating a device-specific signal-to-noise-ratio for each of the at least one communication device, each device-specific signal-to-noise-ratio indicating a signal-to-noise ratio value required to listen to the communication device concerned.

34. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 33, wherein the first performance control means are configured to define a maximum amount of receiver noise allowed for each of the at least one communication device based on the device-specific signal-to-noise ratio determined for that device and on the received signal strength measured for that device.

35. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 31, wherein the first performance control means are further configured to choose one of the at least one communication device and to adjust receiver sensitivity based on the maximum amount of receiver noise allowed for that device.

36. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 31, wherein the second performance control means are configured to maximize the receiver sensitivity if the wireless communication terminal'"'"'s own transmission is approaching.

37. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 31, wherein the second performance control means are configured to determine receiver sensitivity based on transmission power defined for said own transmission.

38. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 30, wherein the first performance control means are provided with a look-up table indicating internal control measures to be taken.

39. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 30, wherein the second performance control means are provided with a look-up table indicating internal control measures to be taken.

40. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 30, further comprising second measurement means for measuring interfering power received in the communication terminal, the interfering power being indicative of a level of interference caused by external interferers.

41. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 40, wherein the first and second performance control means are configured to control the receiver dynamic range.

42. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 41, wherein the first performance control means are further configured to choose one of the at least one communication device and to adjust the dynamic range based on the interfering power and the signal quality variable corresponding to the chosen device.

43. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 30, wherein the at least one signal quality variable is indicative of an error rate of a signal measured from the corresponding communication device.

44. A computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein to control a wireless communication terminal, the computer readable program code comprising:

a first computer readable program code portion for causing at least one communication device to be selected as a communicating peer for the wireless communication terminal;

a second computer readable program code portion for causing the wireless communication terminal to adjust receiver performance based on a signal quality variable measured based on a signal received from at least one of the at least one wireless communication device;

a third computer readable program code portion for causing the wireless communication terminal to generate an indication when the wireless communication terminal'"'"'s own transmission is approaching; and

a fourth computer readable program code portion for causing the wireless communication terminal to adjust receiver performance to a level enabling the wireless communication terminal to detect transmitting communication devices within a coverage area of said own transmission, the fourth computer readable program code portion operating in response to the indication.