Adaptive Duplex Modes in Telecommunication Equipment

• US 20080153431A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jacobus Cornelis Haartsen, William Camp
• Original Assignee: Jacobus Cornelis Haartsen, William Camp
• Inventors: Haartsen, Jacobus Cornelis, Camp, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,957,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/48 in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter H04B1/46 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/52 Hybrid arrangements, i.e. arrangements for transition from single-path two-direction transmission to single-direction transmission on each of two paths or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0069 Cell search, i.e. determining cell identity [cell-ID] design of multiplexing codes H04J13/00; processing access restriction or access information H04W48/16; discovery of network devices for network data management H04W8/005; sounding signals for channel estimation H04L25/0226; structure of reference signals in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2613; frame, time or carrier synchronisation in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2655
• 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 transceiver is operated in a cellular communications system, wherein the transceiver has a variable transmitter output power that spans a range of power levels comprising a low-power domain and a high-power domain. Operation includes determining whether the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the low-power domain or the high-power domain. If the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the low-power domain, then transceiver operation is initiated in a full-duplex mode in which transmitted and received signals pass through a duplexer associated with a transceiver antenna. If the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the high-power domain, then transceiver operation is initiated in a half-duplex mode and bypassing the duplexer.

Claims

1. A method of operating a transceiver in a cellular communications system, wherein the transceiver has a variable transmitter output power that spans a range of power levels comprising a low-power domain and a high-power domain, the method comprising:

determining whether the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the low-power domain or the high-power domain;

if the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the low-power domain, then initiating transceiver operation in a full-duplex mode in which transmitted and received signals pass through a duplexer associated with a transceiver antenna; and

if the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the high-power domain, then initiating transceiver operation in a half-duplex mode and bypassing the duplexer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating transceiver operation in the half-duplex mode comprises:

communicating a request for half-duplex operation to a base station; and

operating the transceiver in the half-duplex mode in response to a confirmation of the request for half-duplex operation from the base station.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

in response to a denial of the request for half-duplex operation from the base station, performing;

determining whether a planned transceiver operation involves transmitting without receiving; and

if the planned transceiver operation involves transmitting without receiving, then bypassing the duplexer as part of the planned transceiver operation.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising:

in response to a denial of the request for half-duplex operation from the base station, performing;

determining whether a planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting; and

if the planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting, then bypassing the duplexer as part of the planned transceiver operation.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

if the planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting, then reducing bias current in receiver circuitry while maintaining required sensitivity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the planned transceiver operation comprises at least one operation selected from:

reading a broadcast control channel;

reading a paging control channel;

scanning for synchronization channels;

and a cell search operation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating transceiver operation in the full-duplex mode comprises:

communicating a request for full-duplex operation to a base station; and

operating the transceiver in the full-duplex mode in response to a confirmation of the request for full-duplex operation from the base station.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

in response to a denial of the request for full-duplex operation from the base station, performing;

determining whether a planned transceiver operation involves transmitting without receiving; and

if the planned transceiver operation involves transmitting without receiving, then bypassing the duplexer as part of the planned transceiver operation.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising:

in response to a denial of the request for full-duplex operation from the base station, performing;

determining whether a planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting; and

if the planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting, then bypassing the duplexer as part of the planned transceiver operation.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

if the planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting, then reducing bias current in receiver circuitry while maintaining required sensitivity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a threshold between the low-power domain and the high-power domain is based on an efficiency rating of a power amplifier within the transceiver.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a threshold between the low-power domain and the high-power domain is based on an overall power consumption rating of the transceiver.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the low-power domain or the high-power domain comprises:

comparing a present transmitter output power with a first threshold value when an earlier determination concluded that the transceiver was operating in the low-power domain; and

comparing the present transmitter output power with a second threshold value when the earlier determination concluded that the transceiver was operating in the high-power domain,

wherein the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value.

14. An apparatus that operates a transceiver in a cellular communications system, wherein the transceiver has a variable transmitter output power that spans a range of power levels comprising a low-power domain and a high-power domain, the method comprising:

logic configured to determine whether the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the low-power domain or the high-power domain;

logic configured to respond to a determination that the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the low-power domain by initiating transceiver operation in a full-duplex mode in which transmitted and received signals pass through a duplexer associated with a transceiver antenna; and

logic configured to respond to a determination that the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the high-power domain by initiating transceiver operation in a half-duplex mode and bypassing the duplexer.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to respond to the determination that the transceiver is in the high-power domain by initiating transceiver operation in the half-duplex mode comprises:

logic configured to communicate a request for half-duplex operation to a base station; and

logic configured to operate the transceiver in the half-duplex mode in response to a confirmation of the request for half-duplex operation from the base station.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, comprising:

logic configured to respond to a denial of the request for half-duplex operation from the base station by performing;

determining whether a planned transceiver operation involves transmitting without receiving; and

if the planned transceiver operation involves transmitting without receiving, then bypassing the duplexer as part of the planned transceiver operation.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, comprising:

logic configured to respond to a denial of the request for half-duplex operation from the base station by performing;

determining whether a planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting; and

if the planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting, then bypassing the duplexer as part of the planned transceiver operation.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, comprising:

if the planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting, then reducing bias current in receiver circuitry while maintaining required sensitivity.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to respond to the determination that the transceiver is in the low-power domain by initiating transceiver operation in the full-duplex mode comprises:

logic configured to communicate a request for full-duplex operation to a base station; and

logic configured to operate the transceiver in the full-duplex mode in response to a confirmation of the request for full-duplex operation from the base station.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, comprising:

logic configured to respond to a denial of the request for full-duplex operation from the base station by performing;

determining whether a planned transceiver operation involves transmitting without receiving; and

if the planned transceiver operation involves transmitting without receiving, then bypassing the duplexer as part of the planned transceiver operation.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, comprising:

logic configured to respond to a denial of the request for full-duplex operation from the base station by performing;

determining whether a planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting; and

if the planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting, then bypassing the duplexer as part of the planned transceiver operation.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, comprising:

if the planned transceiver operation involves receiving without transmitting, then reducing bias current in receiver circuitry while maintaining required sensitivity.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a threshold between the low-power domain and the high-power domain is based on an efficiency rating of a power amplifier within the transceiver.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a threshold between the low-power domain and the high-power domain is based on an overall power consumption rating of the transceiver.

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to determine whether the transmitter output power of the transceiver is in the low-power domain or the high-power domain comprises:

logic configured to compare a present transmitter output power with a first threshold value when an earlier determination concluded that the transceiver was operating in the low-power domain; and

logic configured to compare the present transmitter output power with a second threshold value when the earlier determination concluded that the transceiver was operating in the high-power domain,

wherein the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value.