METHOD FOR REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION AND COMMUNICATIONS APPARATUS UTILIZING THE SAME

• US 20140179235A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: HUANG, Ting-Chang
• Application Number:
  US13/722,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20140179235A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0871 using different reception schemes, at least one of them being a diversity reception scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communications apparatus having multiple antennas for supporting MIMO communications includes a processor coupled to at least a radio transceiver, a baseband processing element and the antennas. The processor at least includes a first processor logic unit for determining a value of an indicator according to a plurality of signals received from an air interface via the radio transceiver and a second processor logic unit for dynamically adjusting a number of antennas utilized in following receiving operations based on the value of the indicator. The signals are transmitted by a peer communications apparatus via one or more transmitting antennas and the indicator is capable of reflecting qualities of the signals.

Claims

1. A communications apparatus having a plurality of antennas for supporting Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communications, comprising:

a processor, coupled to at least a radio transceiver, a baseband processing element and the antennas, wherein the processor at least comprises;

a first processor logic unit, determining a value of an indicator according to a plurality of signals received from an air interface via the radio transceiver, wherein the signals are received from a peer communications apparatus via one or more receiving antennas, and the indicator is capable of reflecting qualities of the signals; and

a second processor logic unit, dynamically adjusting a number of antennas utilized in following receiving operations based on the value of the indicator.

2. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the value of the indicator has exceeded a predetermined threshold, the second processor logic unit determines to use a single antenna in the following receiving operations.

3. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicator is a Reference Signal Receiving Quality (RSRQ) of the signals.

4. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicator is a Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP) of the signals.

5. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicator is a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of the signals.

6. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first processor logic unit determines the value of the indicator according to one or more cell-specific pilots in the signals.

7. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor further comprises a third processor logic unit dynamically determines a margin of a predetermined threshold according to channel characteristics of the air interface, and when the margin is applied, the second processor logic unit determines to use a single antenna in the following receiving operations when the value of the indicator has exceeded the predetermined threshold plus a value of the margin.

8. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor further comprises a fourth processor logic unit determines whether the processor operates in an idle mode, and when the processor operates in the idle mode, the second processor logic unit determines to use a single antenna in the following receiving operations.

9. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is comprised in the baseband processing element.

10. A method for reducing power consumption in a communications apparatus having a plurality of antennas for supporting Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communications, comprising:

determining a value of an indicator according to a plurality of signals received from an air interface via a radio transceiver of the communications apparatus, wherein the signals are received from a peer communications apparatus via one or more receiving antennas and the indicator is capable of reflecting qualities of the signals; and

dynamically adjusting a number of antennas utilized in following receiving operations of the communications apparatus based on the value of the indicator,

wherein when the value of the indicator has exceeded a predetermined threshold, a single antenna is determined to be utilized in the following receiving operations of the communications apparatus.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the indicator is a Reference Signal Receiving Quality (RSRQ) of the signals.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the indicator is a Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP) of the signals.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the indicator is a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of the signals.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the value of the indicator is determined according to one or more cell-specific pilots in the signals.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

dynamically determining a margin of the predetermined threshold according to channel characteristics of the air interface,

wherein when the margin is applied, a single antenna is determined to be utilized in the following receiving operations of the communications apparatus when the value of the indicator has exceeded the predetermined threshold plus a value of the margin.

16. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the communications apparatus operates in an idle mode, wherein when the communications apparatus operates in the idle mode, a single antenna of the communications apparatus is determined