PROLONGING INTERNAL POWER SUPPLY LIFE IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20100234060A1
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Beamish, Norman
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• 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

A method of communicating between a mobile communication device including a power supply, and a base station. The mobile device has first and second alternative communication modes, the first communication mode having higher quality of service and higher power consumption than the second communication mode. The second communication mode is adopted in response to a characteristic of the mobile device power supply indicative of a reduced reserve of power in the power supply, and a state indication is transmitted from the mobile device to the base station. The base station can respond to the state indication from the mobile device by modifying a communication characteristic of the base station with the mobile device, whereby to tend to compensate for the mobile device switching between the first and second communication modes.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device (112, 116, 120) for communicating with a base station (104, 108) and having first and second alternative communication modes, said first communication mode (314, 714) having higher quality of service and higher power consumption than said second communication mode (306, 706), and said device including a power supply (224),

characterised by said mobile device (112, 116, 120) being responsive to a characteristic of said power supply (224) indicative of a reduced reserve of energy in said power supply to select said second communication mode (306, 706) and transmit a state indication (308, 708, 1004, 1010) to said base station (104, 108).

2. A mobile communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said state indication (308, 708, 1010) transmitted to said base station (104, 108) is arranged to identify a communication mode adopted by said mobile device (112, 116, 120).

3. A mobile communication device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said state indication (1004) transmitted to said base station (104, 108) is arranged to identify existence of a low energy condition of said power supply (224).

4. A mobile communication device as claimed in claim 3, responsive to a signal (1006) from said base station (104, 108) to adopt said second communication mode (1014) after transmitting to said base station said indication (1004) identifying existence of a low energy condition of said internal power supply (224).

5. A mobile communication device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said characteristic indicative of a reduced reserve of energy in said power supply (224) is a power supply voltage less than a threshold voltage (Vth).

6. A mobile communication device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said first communication mode (314, 714) of said mobile device (112, 116, 120) includes spatial receive diversity support, which is arranged to be reduced or disabled in said second communication mode (306, 706) of said mobile device.

7. A mobile communication device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mobile device (112, 116, 120) is arranged to employ a different modulation scheme in said second communication mode (306, 706) from said first communication mode (314, 714) for communication with said base station (104, 108).

8. A mobile communication device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said mobile device (112, 116, 120) is arranged to communicate with said base station (104, 108) employing EDGE in said first communication mode (314, 714) and communicate employing Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying in said second communication mode (306, 706).

9. A mobile communication device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mobile device (112, 116, 120) is arranged to transmit at lower power in said second communication mode (306, 706) than in said first communication mode (314, 714).

10. A method of communicating between a mobile communication device (112, 116, 120) and a base station (104, 108), said mobile device (112, 116, 120) having first and second alternative communication modes, said first communication mode (314, 714) having higher quality of service and higher power consumption than said second communication mode (306, 706), and said mobile device (112, 116, 120) including a power supply (224),

characterised by selecting said second communication mode (306, 706, 1014) in response to a characteristic of said mobile device power supply (224) indicative of a reduced reserve of power in said power supply, and transmitting a state indication (308, 708, 1004, 1010) from said mobile device (112, 116, 120) to said base station (104, 108).

11. A method of communicating as claimed in claim 10, wherein said state indication (308, 708, 1010) identifies a communication mode adopted by said mobile device (112, 116, 120).

12. A method of communicating as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein said state indication (1004) identifies existence of a low energy condition of said internal power supply (224).

13. A method of communicating as claimed in claim 12, wherein said mobile device (112, 116, 120) responds to a signal (1006, 1108) from said base station (104, 108) to adopt said second communication mode (1014) after transmitting to said base station (104, 108) said state indication (1004) identifying existence of a low energy condition of said internal power supply (224).

14. A method of communicating as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13, wherein said characteristic indicative of a reduced reserve of energy in said power supply (224) is a power supply voltage less than a threshold voltage (Vth).

15. A method of communicating as claimed in any of claims 10 to 14, wherein said base station (104, 108) responds to said state indication (308, 708, 1004, 1010) from said mobile device (112, 116, 120) by modifying (606, 612, 706, 712, 1106, 1114, 1120) a communication characteristic of said base station with said mobile device, whereby to tend to compensate for said mobile device switching between said first and second communication modes.

16. A method of communicating as claimed in any of claims 10 to 15, wherein said first communication mode (314, 714) of said mobile device (112, 116, 120) includes spatial receive diversity support, which is disabled in said second communication mode (306, 706) of said mobile device.

17. A method of communicating as claimed in claim 16, wherein said base station (104, 108) responds to said state indication (308, 708, 1010) from said mobile device (112, 116, 120) by increasing (906, 1114) transmit power of signals to said mobile device if it is operating in said second communication mode (306, 706) relative to transmit power of signals if said mobile device is operating in said first communication mode (314, 714), whereby to tend to compensate for said mobile device switching between said first and second communication modes.

18. A method of communicating as claimed in any of claims 15 to 17, wherein said base station (104, 108) and said mobile device (112, 116, 120) employ a different modulation scheme in said second communication mode (306, 706) from said first communication mode (314, 714), and said base station responds (1108, 1114) to said state indication from said mobile device by switching selectively to said different modulation scheme for communication with that mobile device.

19. A method of communicating as claimed in claim 18, wherein said base station (104, 108) and said mobile device (112, 116, 120) communicate employing EDGE in said first communication mode (314, 714) and communicate employing Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying in said second communication mode (306, 706).

20. A method of communicating as claimed in claim 18 or 19, wherein said base station (104, 108) and said mobile device (112, 116, 120) communicate employing High-Speed Uplink Packet Access—

HSUPA—

with a smaller number of HSUPA channels in said second communication mode (306, 706) than in said first communication mode (314, 714).

21. A method of communicating as claimed in any of claims 10 to 20, wherein said mobile device (112, 116, 120) transmits at lower power in said second communication mode (306, 706) than in said first communication mode (314, 714), and said base station (104, 108) responds to said state indication (308, 708, 1010) by allocating more resources (806, 1014) to reception of signals transmitted by a mobile device operating in said second than in said first communication modes.

22. A base station (104, 108) for communicating with a mobile communication device (112, 116, 120) and including means (522, 610) responsive to said state indication (308, 708, 1010) for controlling the responses of the base station as specified in any of claims 10 to 21.