REDUCED-POWER TRANSMITTING FROM A COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE

• US 20140274188A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Thorson, Dean E., Hauswirth, Steve R., Krenz, Eric L., Moller, Paul J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,491,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/38 TPC being performed in particular situations

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure teach decreasing, in a time-averaged regime, the amount of RF energy emitted by a communications device. Generally speaking, the network tells the communications device what power level it should transmit at. If, however, the device determines that it would exceed an emission standard by transmitting at the specified power level for as long as it needs to in order to carry out its transmission duties, then the device can instead decide to transmit at a lower power level. Alternatively (or in combination), the device can, instead of transmitting all the time while it has data to send, only transmit intermittently. In either case, the emitted electromagnetic energy, as averaged over a period of time, is reduced below the maximum allowed by the standard. Later, if possible and necessary, the device can again transmit at a higher power level or more frequently.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting from a communications device, the method comprising:

increasing, by the communications device, an RFe (“

Radio-Frequency emission”

) variable, the increasing associated with the communications device transmitting RF energy;

decreasing, by the communications device, the RFe, the decreasing associated with a passage of time;

comparing, by the communications device, the RFe against a threshold; and

if the RFe exceeds the threshold, then;

diminishing, by the communications device, an RF transmission schedule;

subsequently transmitting, by the communications device, according to the diminished RF transmission schedule.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein an amount of the increasing is based, at least in part, on a calculated amount of RF energy transmitted by the communications device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the calculated amount of RF energy transmitted is based, at least in part, on an RF transmission-power value and an amount of transmission time.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein zero is a lower limit of the RFe.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the decreasing is performed when the communications device has data to transmit.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the threshold is based, at least in part, on a time-averaged RF transmission-power window.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the threshold is based, at least in part, on a Federal Communications Commission Specific Absorption Rate standard.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the threshold is based, at least in part, on a detected proximity of the communications device to a user of the communications device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the diminished RF transmission schedule is deterministic.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the diminished RF transmission schedule is random.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein an amount of a diminishment of the RF transmission schedule is based, at least in part, on a difference between the RFe and the threshold.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting according to the diminished schedule is achieved, at least in part, by withholding data to transmit from a transmitter modem until transmission is allowed by the diminished schedule.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from a user of the communications device, input;

wherein the threshold is based, at least in part, on the user input.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

predicting future transmission requirements; and

diminishing the RF transmission schedule, the diminishing based, at least in part, on the predicted future transmission requirements.

15. A communications device configured for transmitting, the communications device comprising:

a communications interface; and

a processor operatively connected to the communications interface and configured for;

increasing an RFe (“

Radio-Frequency emission”

) variable, the increasing associated with the communications device transmitting RF energy;

decreasing the RFe, the decreasing associated with a passage of time;

comparing the RFe against a threshold; and

if the RFe exceeds the threshold, then;

diminishing, by the communications device, an RF transmission schedule;

subsequently transmitting, by the communications device, according to the diminished RF transmission schedule.

16. The communications device of claim 15 wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of:

a personal communications device, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, and a tablet computer.

17. The communications device of claim 15 wherein the communications interface comprises a plurality of transmitters.

18. The communications device of claim 15 wherein transmitting according to the diminished schedule is achieved, at least in part, by the processor withholding data to transmit from a transmitter modem in the communications interface until transmission is allowed by the diminished schedule.

19. The communications device of claim 15 further comprising:

a proximity detector operatively connected to the processor;

wherein the threshold is based, at least in part, on a detected proximity of the communications device to a user of the communications device.

20. The communications device of claim 15 further comprising:

a user interface operatively connected to the processor, the user interface configured for receiving input from a user of the communications device;

wherein the threshold is based, at least in part, on the user input.