Apparatus and Methods for Reducing Power Consumption and/or Radio Frequency Interference in a Mobile Computing Device

• US 20080113692A1
• Filed: 11/13/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zhao, Wen, Mahe, Isabel
• Granted Patent: US 9,265,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/02 Reducing interference from electric apparatus by means located at or near the interfering apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2215/068 by avoiding a reception frequency range
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Various embodiments for reducing power consumption and radio frequency (RF) interference in a mobile computing device are described. In one or more embodiments, the mobile computing device may support cellular voice communication, wireless wide area network (WWAN) data communication, and wireless local area network (WLAN) data communication. The mobile computing device may be arranged to disable WWAN data communication whenever an available WLAN is detected to reduce RF interference and/or power consumption. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile computing device to support cellular voice communication, wireless wide area network (WWAN) data communication, and wireless local area network (WLAN) data communication, the mobile computing device comprising a channel control module to disable WWAN data communication whenever an available WLAN is detected.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the channel control module to turn off power to a WWAN transceiver of the mobile computing device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the channel control module to suspend monitoring for incoming WWAN data calls when WLAN data communication is being carried out.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the channel control module to suspend monitoring for incoming WWAN data calls when the mobile computing device is in an idle state.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, the channel control module to modify a sleep cycle of the mobile computing device to prevent the mobile computing device from periodically waking up and checking for WWAN data calls when in the idle state.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the channel control module to monitor WLAN communication and to enable WWAN data communication if WLAN communication is lost or falls below a certain signal strength threshold level.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the mobile computing device to monitor for incoming WWAN data calls only if an available WLAN is not detected.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the channel control module to handoff communications among a cellular voice channel, a WWAN communication channel, and a WLAN data channel.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the channel control module to handoff a voice call on the cellular voice channel to the WLAN data channel as a Voice over IP (VOIP) call.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, the channel control module to handoff a data call on the WWAN data channel to the WLAN data channel.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, the channel control module to handoff a data call on the WLAN data channel to the WWAN data channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the mobile computing device to support Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) cellular voice communication, Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) data communication, and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) communication.

13. A method comprising:

detecting an available wireless local area network (WLAN); and

disabling wireless wide area network (WWAN) data communication capability of a mobile computing device whenever an available WLAN is detected.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising turning off power to a WWAN transceiver of the mobile computing device.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising suspending monitoring for incoming WWAN data calls.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising monitoring WLAN communication and enabling WWAN data communication if WLAN communication is lost or falls below a certain signal strength threshold level.

17. The method of claim 13, comprising monitoring for incoming WWAN data calls only if an available WLAN is not detected.

18. The method of claim 13, comprising performing a handoff to or from a WLAN data channel.

19. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that if executed enable a computing system to:

detect an available wireless local area network (WLAN); and

disable wireless wide area network (WWAN) data communication capability of a mobile computing device whenever an available WLAN is detected.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a computing system to turn off power to a WWAN transceiver of the mobile computing device.

21. The storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a computing system to suspend monitoring for incoming WWAN data calls.

22. The storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a computing system to monitor WLAN communication and enable WWAN data communication if WLAN communication is lost or falls below a certain signal strength threshold level.

23. The storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a computing system to monitor for incoming WWAN data calls only if an available WLAN is not detected.

24. The storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a computing system to perform a handoff to or from a WLAN data channel.