Wireless Communication System, Mobile Communication Apparatus, and Operating Method Thereof

• US 20100329164A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MStar Semiconductor Incorporated (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Cheng-Yen
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communication system is provided. The wireless communication system comprises a control apparatus, a first mobile communication apparatus and a second mobile communication apparatus. The first and second mobile communication apparatuses are within a wireless communication coverage of the control apparatus. The first mobile communication apparatus is in a standby period under an idle mode according to a wireless communication protocol; the second mobile communication apparatus is in an active period under the idle mode according to the wireless communication protocol and establishes a communication link with the control apparatus. The first mobile communication apparatus communicates with the control apparatus through the second mobile communication apparatus via a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication mechanism.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a control apparatus having a wireless communication coverage;

a first mobile communication apparatus being in a standby period compliant with a wireless communication protocol; and

a second mobile communication apparatus being in an active period compliant with the wireless communication protocol to establish a communication link with the control apparatus,

the first and second mobile communication apparatuses being within the wireless communication coverage of the control apparatus, the first mobile communication apparatus communicating through the second mobile communication apparatus with the control apparatus via a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication mechanism.

2. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control apparatus is a base station.

3. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first mobile communication apparatus signals the second mobile communication apparatus to indicate a power-on status thereof via the P2P communication mechanism, wherein the second mobile communication apparatus informs the control apparatus that the first mobile communication apparatus is powered on, and wherein the control apparatus communicates to the first mobile communication apparatus through the second mobile communication apparatus.

4. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the communication link is established between the second mobile communication apparatus and the control apparatus, the control apparatus transmits to the second mobile communication apparatus an incoming message indication corresponding to an incoming message intended for the first mobile communication apparatus, wherein the second mobile communication apparatus forwards the incoming message indication to the first mobile communication apparatus via the P2P communication mechanism, and wherein the first mobile communication apparatus activates a receiving terminal in response to receiving the incoming message indication to receive the incoming message from the control apparatus.

5. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the P2P communication mechanism adopted by the first mobile communication apparatus and the second mobile communication apparatus comprises a Bluetooth communication mechanism, a Wibree communication mechanism, a radio frequency identification (RFID) communication mechanism, or a combination thereof.

6. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first mobile communication apparatus and the second mobile communication apparatus individually comprise a respective P2P transceiving module through which the first mobile communication apparatus and the second mobile communication apparatus communicate with each other to form a P2P network.

7. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 6, wherein standby power consumption of the P2P transceiving module is smaller than power consumption of wireless communication modules of the first and second mobile communication apparatuses.

8. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein lengths of standby periods of the first and second mobile communication apparatuses are adjusted by the control apparatus according to a distribution of active periods of the first and second mobile communication apparatuses.

9. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the second mobile communication apparatus establishes the communication link with the control apparatus, the second mobile communication apparatus provides to the control apparatus a list of neighboring mobile communication apparatuses capable of communicating with the second mobile communication apparatus via the P2P communication mechanism.

10. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first mobile communication apparatus is in the standby period under an idle mode, and the second mobile communication apparatus is in the active period under the idle mode.

11. A method for operating a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

placing a first mobile communication apparatus in a standby period compliant with a wireless communication protocol; and

rendering communication between the first mobile communication apparatus and a control apparatus of the wireless communication system in part via a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication mechanism.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein rendering communication between the first mobile communication apparatus and a control apparatus of the wireless communication system in part via a P2P communication mechanism comprises:

establishing a communication link between the first mobile communication apparatus and a second mobile communication apparatus using the P2P communication mechanism, the second mobile communication apparatus in an active period compliant with the wireless communication protocol and having a communication link with the control apparatus.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the P2P communication mechanism comprises Bluetooth, Wibree, radio-frequency identification (RFID), or a combination thereof.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting, from the first mobile communication apparatus to a second mobile communication apparatus via the P2P communication mechanism, a signal indicative of a power-on status for the second communication apparatus to inform the control apparatus that the first mobile communication apparatus is powered on.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the first mobile communication apparatus from a second mobile communication apparatus via the P2P communication mechanism, a signal forwarded from the control apparatus to the second mobile communication apparatus that is indicative of an incoming message intended for the first mobile communication apparatus.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

the first mobile communication apparatus activating a receiving terminal thereof according to the signal to receive the incoming message from the control apparatus through the second mobile communication apparatus.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving at the first mobile communication apparatus location-related information from a satellite positioning system.

18. A mobile communication apparatus, comprising:

a wireless communication module that communicates with a control apparatus; and

a peer-to-peer (P2P) transceiving module coupled to the wireless communication module to communicate under an idle mode with another mobile communication apparatus via a P2P communication mechanism.

19. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the P2P transceiving module receives from the another mobile communication apparatus a power-on status of the another mobile communication apparatus via the P2P communication mechanism, and wherein the wireless communication module communicates to the control apparatus to inform the control apparatus that the another mobile communication apparatus is powered on.

20. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein when the wireless communication module establishes a communication link with the control apparatus, the wireless communication module receives from the control apparatus an incoming message indication corresponding to an incoming message intended for the another mobile communication apparatus, wherein the P2P transceiving module forwards the incoming message indication to the another mobile communication apparatus via the P2P communication mechanism.