Power Control Apparatus and Method for Supporting Seamless Mobility

• US 20080139117A1
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sligo, Joseph C., Dunlop, Colin G., Madine, Mary M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,774,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A power control device (18), for use with a WPAN host device (10), and a method (30) for supporting seamless mobility in transferring content between a WPAN-enabled device and the host device, such as between a Bluetooth-enabled information source and a Bluetooth-enabled host device. The host device includes a WPAN module (14), an on/off control module (16) and the power control device or module (18). The power control module (18) includes a power source (24) for powering a controller (22) that instructs the on/off control module to turn on the host device if the host device is turned off and if a WPAN information source has a WPAN master/slave relationship with the host device. The controller also can instruct the on/off control module to turn off the host device if the WPAN information source no longer has a WPAN master/slave relationship with the host device.

Claims

1. A wireless personal area network (WPAN) host device, comprising:

a WPAN module configured to receive WPAN information from a WPAN information source;

an on/off control module coupled to the WPAN module for switching the host device between an on state in which WPAN information can be received by the WPAN module and an off state in which WPAN information can not be received by the WPAN module; and

a power control module coupled to the on/off control module, wherein the power control module includes

a controller coupled to the on/off control module, wherein the controller is configured to receive at least one WPAN command from the WPAN information source, and

a power source coupled to the controller for supplying power to the controller,

wherein, when the controller receives at least one WPAN command from the WPAN information source,

if the WPAN information source has a WPAN master/slave relationship with the host device, and

if the host device is in the off state,

the controller instructs the on/off control module to switch the host device to the on state wherein the WPAN module can begin receiving WPAN information from the WPAN information source.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the WPAN host device further comprises a Bluetooth-enabled host device, and wherein the WPAN information source further comprises a Bluetooth information source.

3. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the WPAN master/slave relationship further comprises at least one of having a Bluetooth piconet between the WPAN host device and the WPAN information source and having a pairing between the WPAN host device and the WPAN information source.

4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the power control module is embedded in the WPAN module.

5. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the power source is configured to remain in a powered-up state that continuously supplies power to the controller in such a way that the controller can continuously receive WPAN commands from the WPAN information source.

6. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the WPAN module and the power control module is contained within the host device.

7. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the power control module is wirelessly coupled to the on/off control module via a wireless controller and at least one wireless interface.

8. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein, if the host device determines that the WPAN information source no longer has a WPAN master/slave relationship with the host device, and if the host device is in the on state, the controller instructs the on/off control module to switch the host device to the off state.

9. A power control module for use with a WPAN host device, the host device having an on state in which WPAN information can be received by the host device and an off state in which WPAN information can not be received by the host device, the module comprising:

a controller configured to receive at least one WPAN command from a WPAN information source;

a power source coupled to the controller for supplying power to the controller,

wherein, when the controller receives at least one WPAN command from the WPAN information source,

if the WPAN information source has a WPAN master/slave relationship with the host device, and

if the host device is in the off state, the controller instructs the host device to switch to the on state to begin receiving WPAN information from the WPAN information source.

10. The module as recited in claim 9, wherein the WPAN host device further comprises a Bluetooth-enabled host device, and wherein the WPAN information source further comprises a Bluetooth information source.

11. The module as recited in claim 9, wherein the power control module is wirelessly coupled to the host device via a wireless controller and at least one wireless interface.

12. The module as recited in claim 9, wherein the power control module is contained within the host device.

13. A computer program embodied in a computer-readable medium for receiving WPAN information from a WPAN host device, the program comprising:

instructions for receiving WPAN messages by the WPAN device from a WPAN information source;

instructions for determining if the WPAN information source has a WPAN master/slave relationship with the host device;

instructions for determining if the WPAN host device is in an off state in which the WPAN host device can not receive WPAN information from the WPAN information source; and

instructions for switching the WPAN host device to an on state if the WPAN information has a WPAN master/slave relationship with the host device, and if the host device is in the off state, wherein, when the WPAN host device is in the on state, the WPAN host device can receive WPAN information from the WPAN information source.