SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DETERMINING STANDBY TIME FOR MOBILE STATIONS

• US 20100189008A1
• Filed: 04/01/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: JIN, Xin, SHEARER, Fiona, MALLALIEU, Jennifer
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• 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 system for determining standby time for a mobile station uses a battery simulator, a base station emulator, a computer to control the test equipment and MSUT for testing a mobile station. The computer includes a module for determining a radio off battery voltage, a module for deriving a battery capacity in dependence upon the radio off battery voltage, a module for measuring battery capacity usage in a predetermined time while the mobile station is in standby mode and a module for determining a standby time for the mobile station in dependence upon the battery capacity and the battery capacity usage, where the predetermined time is less than the standby time.

Claims

1. A method of determining a standby time of a mobile station, the method comprising:

measuring a first array of current measurement data points covering a transmit event of the mobile station in a standby mode, the standby mode comprising a transmit mode and a receive mode, the mobile station powered by a battery having an available battery capacity, the measuring being triggered by the transmit event; and

providing the standby time based on a transmit event number per time unit, a transmit capacity per time unit, a receive capacity per time unit, and the available battery capacity.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the transmit event number per time unit;

measuring a second array of current measurement data points covering a receive segment of the receive mode;

calculating a mean current value of the receive segment; and

calculating the receive capacity per time unit from the mean current value.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a transmit duration, wherein the transmit duration is substantially shorter than the receive segment.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first array of current measurement data points is extracted from a data array collected over a plurality of transmit events.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first array includes m measurement data points, each of the measurement data points has a sample interval Δ

t, and a transmit capacity for the transmit event is calculated by;

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmit capacity per time unit is calculated by:

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising calculating a transmit time per time unit:

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising calculating a mean receive current value over a plurality of mean current values from a plurality of receive segments.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the mean receive current value is i_rx, the receive capacity per time unit is calculated by:

C<sub>rx—

per—

time—

unit</sub>=(i_rx*(1−

t<sub>tx—

per—

time—

unit</sub>)).

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a capacity per time unit is determined by:

C<sub>per—

time—

unit</sub>=C<sub>tx—

per—

time—

unit+</sub>C<sub>rx—

per—

time—

unit</sub>.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the available battery capacity is C_avail the standby time is determined by:

T_standby=C_avail/C<sub>per—

time—

unit</sub>.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein the time unit is one hour.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the available battery capacity is the difference between a new battery capacity and a cutoff battery capacity at a radio off battery voltage.

14. A test system for determining a standby time of a mobile station, the test system comprising:

a base station emulator provisioning the mobile station in a standby mode, the standby mode comprising a transmit mode and a receive mode, the mobile station powered by a battery having an available battery capacity;

a battery simulator measuring a first array of current measurement data points covering a transmit event of the transmit mode;

the battery simulator being triggered by the transmit event; and

a computer providing the standby time based on a transmit event number per time unit, a transmit capacity per time unit, a receive capacity per time unit, and the available battery capacity.

15. The test system according to claim 14, wherein the computer determines the transmit event number per time unit;

and calculates a mean current value of the receive segment, and the receive capacity per time unit from the mean current value, and wherein the battery simulator measures a second array of receive current measurement data points covering a receive segment of the receive mode; and

.

16. The test system according to claim 14, wherein the computer determines a transmit duration used for the transmit event, and the transmit duration is substantially shorter than the receive segment.

17. The test system according to claim 15, wherein the first array of current measurement data points is extracted from a data array collected over a plurality of transmit events.

18. The test system according to claim 14, wherein the first array includes m measurement data points, each of the measurement data points has a sample interval Δ

t, and a transmit capacity for the transmit event is calculated by;

19. The test system according to claim 14, wherein the transmit capacity per time unit is calculated by:

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions or statements for use in the execution in a computer of a method of determining a standby time of a mobile station, the method comprising:

measuring a first array of current measurement data points covering a transmit event of the mobile station in a standby mode, the standby mode comprising a transmit mode and a receive mode, the mobile station powered by a battery having an available battery capacity, the measuring being triggered by the transmit event; and

providing the standby time based on a transmit event number per time unit, a transmit capacity per time unit, a receive capacity per time unit, and the available battery capacity.