LOW DUTY CYCLE NETWORK CONTROLLER

• US 20120002574A1
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Chong U., Holcman, Alejandro R., Stein, Jeremy M., Rezaiifar, Ramin, Aryan, Babak
• Granted Patent: US 8,605,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/277
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/06 Synchronising arrangements for television systems H04N5/04; bit-synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Operating at least one low duty cycle (LDC) controller to maintain synchronization between the LDC controller and a plurality of LDC terminals operating over a communication network using only overhead channels of the network and conforming to the protocol and timing of said network, wherein synchronization between the LDC controller and the plurality of LDC terminals is maintained separately from the protocol and timing of the communication network, and enables the LDC controller to schedule power down and wake up of the plurality of LDC terminals for durations longer than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communication network.

Claims

1. A Low Duty Cycle (LDC) terminal, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive information on a half-duplex forward link channel;

a memory;

a processor programmed to;

place the terminal in an idle mode to conform to a CDMA slotted mode protocol;

determine a wake-up time and a power down time based on the information received over the forward link channel; and

place the terminal in a hibernation mode based on the wake-up time and power down time.

2. The LDC terminal of claim 1 wherein the processor is programmed to place the terminal in the hibernation mode for a period of time that is longer than the CDMA slotted mode protocol.

3. The LDC terminal of claim 1 wherein determining the wake-up time includes determining an offset based on the information received over the forward link channel.

4. The LDC terminal of claim 3 wherein the processor is programmed to determine the offset by a hashing process.

5. A Low Duty Cycle (LDC) controller for use in a communications network, comprising:

a memory;

a processor programmed to;

formulate synchronization information to be delivered to the communications network;

maintain the synchronization information separately from the protocol and timing of the communications network;

and,

a transmitter configured to transmit the synchronization information on a half-duplex forward link channel of the communications network.

6. The LDC controller of claim 5 wherein the synchronization information includes a power down time period that is longer in duration than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communications network.

7. The LDC controller of claim 5 wherein the synchronization information includes a wake up time period that is longer in duration than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communications network.

8. The LDC controller of claim 5 wherein the synchronization information includes a time period and the processor is programmed to hash a plurality of wake up times over the time period.

9. The LDC controller of claim 5 comprising a receiver configured to receive terminal message information on a half-duplex reverse link channel.

10. The LDC controller of claim 9 wherein the synchronization information includes a power down time and the processor is programmed to formulate the power down time based the received terminal message information.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

placing a Low Duty Cycle (LDC) terminal in an idle mode to conform to a CDMA slot mode protocol;

determining a terminal wake-up time and a terminal power down time based on information received over a half-duplex forward link channel; and

placing the terminal in a hibernation mode based on the terminal wake-up time and the terminal power down time.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 comprising computer-executable instructions for placing the terminal in a hibernation mode for a period of time that is longer than the CDMA slotted mode protocol.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 comprising computer-executable instructions for determining an offset based on the information received over the forward link channel, and for determining a wake-up time based on the offset.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 comprising computer-executable instructions for determining the offset by a hashing process.

15. A system for synchronizing a plurality of terminals in a communications network, comprising:

means for formulating synchronization information to be delivered to the communications network;

means for maintaining the synchronization information separately from the protocol and timing of the communications network; and

means for transmitting the synchronization information on a half-duplex forward link channel of the communications network.

16. The system of claim 16 wherein the synchronization information includes a power down time period that is longer in duration than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communications network.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the synchronization information includes a wake up time period that is longer in duration than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communications network.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the synchronization information includes a time period and the processor is programmed to hash a plurality of wake up times over the time period.

19. The system of claim 16 comprising means for receiving terminal message information on a half-duplex reverse link channel.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the synchronization information includes a power down time and the means for formulating the power down time based the received terminal message information.

21. A remotely-situated communications device, comprising:

means for receiving information on a half-duplex forward link channel;

means for placing the communications device in an idle mode to conform to a CDMA slotted mode protocol;

means for determining a wake-up time and a power down time based on the information received over the forward link channel; and

means for placing the communications device in a hibernation mode based on the wake-up time and power down time.

22. The communications device of claim 21 comprising means for placing the communications device in the hibernation mode for a period of time that is longer than the CDMA slotted mode protocol.

23. The communications device of claim 21 wherein the means for determining the wake-up time includes determining an offset based on the information received over the forward link channel.

24. A method of controlling a terminal, comprising:

receiving information on a half-duplex forward link channel;

placing the terminal in an idle mode to conform to a CDMA slotted mode protocol;

determining a wake-up time and a power down time based on the information received over the forward link channel; and

placing the terminal in a hibernation mode based the wake-up time and power down time.

25. The method of claim 24 comprising placing the terminal in the hibernation mode for a period of time that is longer than the CDMA slotted mode protocol.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein determining the wake-up time includes determining an offset based on the information received over the forward link channel.

27. The method of claim 26 comprising determining the offset by a hashing process.

28. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

formulating synchronization information to be delivered to a communications network;

maintaining the synchronization information separately from the protocol and timing of the communications network; and

,

transmitting the synchronization information on a half-duplex forward link channel of the communications network.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the synchronization information includes a power down time period that is longer in duration than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communications network.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the synchronization information includes a wake up time period that is longer in duration than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communications network.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the synchronization information includes a time period and the computer-executable instructions include hashing a plurality of wake up times over the time period.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 comprising computer-executable instructions for receiving a terminal message information on a half-duplex reverse link channel.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32 wherein the synchronization information includes a power down time and including computer-executable instructions for formulating the power down time based the terminal message information.

34. A method of sending synchronization information, comprising:

formulating synchronization information to be delivered to a communications network;

maintaining the synchronization information separately from the protocol and timing of the communications network; and

,

transmitting the synchronization information on a half-duplex forward link channel of the communications network.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the synchronization information includes a power down time period that is longer in duration than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communications network.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein the synchronization information includes a wake up time period that is longer in duration than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communications network.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein the synchronization information includes a time period and the method comprises hashing a plurality of wake up times over the time period.

38. The method of claim 34 comprising receiving a terminal message information on a half-duplex reverse link channel.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the synchronization information includes a power down time and the method comprises formulating the power down time based the terminal message information.