Method of Optimizing Power Consumption in A Wireless Device

• US 20090275367A1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Watson, Craig, Wheatley, David, Narasimhan, Nitya, Reinisch, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for operating a wireless communication device. The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of battery powered modules that are carried by a user and together operate as the wireless communication module (ensemble), detecting a battery reserve power level of a first module of the plurality of modules and transferring a processing function from the first module to a second module of the plurality of modules based upon the detected battery reserve power.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless communication device comprising:

providing a plurality of battery powered modules that are carried by a user and together operate as the wireless communication device;

detecting a battery reserve power level of a first module of the plurality of modules; and

transferring a processing function from the first module to a second module of the plurality of modules based upon the detected battery reserve power.

2. The method of operating the wireless module as in claim 1 further comprising deactivating the first module.

3. The method of operating the wireless module as in claim 1 further comprising the plurality of modules communicating through a Bluetooth channel.

4. The method of operating the wireless module as in claim 1 further comprising comparing a reserve power level among the plurality of modules.

5. The method of operating the wireless module as in claim 1 further comprising selecting a module with a greatest relative reserve power level as the second module.

6. The method of operating the wireless module as in claim 1 further comprising defining at least one of the plurality of modules as a cellular transceiver.

7. The method of operating the wireless module as in claim 1 wherein the wireless communication device further comprises a personal area network.

8. A wireless communication device comprising:

a plurality of battery powered modules that are carried by a user and that together operate as the wireless communication device;

means for detecting a battery reserve power level of a first module of the plurality of modules; and

means for transferring a processing function from the first module to a second module of the plurality of modules based upon the detected battery reserve power.

9. The wireless communication module as in claim 8 further comprising means for deactivating the first module.

10. The wireless communication module as in claim 8 further comprising means for communicating among the plurality of modules through a Bluetooth channel.

11. The wireless communication module as in claim 8 further comprising means for comparing a reserve power level among the plurality of modules.

12. The wireless communication module as in claim 8 further comprising means for selecting a module with a greatest relative reserve power level as the second module.

13. The wireless communication module as in claim 8 further comprising means for defining at least one of the plurality of modules as a cellular transceiver.

14. The wireless communication module as in claim 13 further comprising means for providing a voice channel by combining the cellular transceiver with at least one other module of the plurality of modules.

15. A wireless communication device comprising:

a plurality of battery powered modules that are carried by a user and that together operate as a wireless personal area network;

a power monitoring application that detects a battery reserve power level of a first module of the plurality of modules; and

a power control application that transfers a processing function from the first module to a second module of the plurality of modules based upon the detected battery reserve power.

16. The wireless communication module as in claim 15 further comprising a deactivation processor that deactivates the first module.

17. The wireless communication module as in claim 15 further comprising a Bluetooth channel that communicates information among the plurality of modules.

18. The wireless communication module as in claim 15 further comprising a comparator that compares a reserve power level among the plurality of modules.

19. The wireless communication module as in claim 15 further comprising an application selection processor that selects a module with a greatest relative reserve power level as the second module.

20. The wireless communication module as in claim 15 wherein at least one of the plurality of modules further comprises a cellular transceiver.