Transmitter having adjustable power levels responsive to the position of a movable antenna

• US 5,815,820 A
• Filed: 05/11/1992
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jenski, Raymond A., Kaschke, Kevin D., Kiem, Joshua P., Metroka, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Application Number:
  US07/880,918
• Time in Patent Office: 2,332 Days
• Field of Search: 455/89, 455/90, 455/82, 455/83, 455/126, 455/128, 455/129, 455/127, 343/702, 343/901
• US Class Current: 455/575.7
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3838 Arrangements for reducing RF exposure to the user, e.g. by changing the shape of the transceiver while in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/28 using user profile, e.g. mobile speed, priority or network state, e.g. standby, idle or non transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/288 taking into account the usage mode, e.g. hands-free, data transmission, telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/36 with a discrete range or set of values, e.g. step size, ramping or offsets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range

Abstract

A portable radiotelephone (200) adjusts its transmit power responsive to the position of a movable antenna (213). The antenna (213) is movable between a retracted (313) and an extended position (314). The portable radiotelephone (200) transmits at low power when the antenna (213) is retracted and at high power when the antenna (213) is extended. Additionally, the portable radiotelephone (200) can notify a remote base station of the change in transmit power at any time during transmission.

Claims

1. A portable radiotelephone comprising:

an antenna element moveable between a stowed position and an unstowed position;

a detector for detecting the movement of the antenna element between the stowed and the unstowed position, wherein the movement of the antenna causes the detector to be in a first state when the antenna element is moved to the stowed position and causes the detector to be in a second state when the antenna element is moved to the unstowed position;

a transmitter for transmitting a signal at a first power level or a second power level, wherein the second power level is greater than the first power level; and

a controller, coupled to the detector and the transmitter, wherein the controller controls the transmitter to transmit the signal at the first power level when the detector is in the first state and controls the transmitter to transmit the signal at the second power level when the detector is in the second state.

2. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the transmitter is operative to transmit the signal at a first power level within a first range of power levels and at a second power level within a second range of power levels, wherein a second maximum power level of the signal within the second range of power levels is greater than a first maximum power level of the signal within the first range of power levels; and

the controller controls the transmitter to transmit the signal at the first power level within the first range of power levels when the detector is in the first state and controls the transmitter to transmit the signal at the second power level within the second range of power levels when the detector is in the second state.

3. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 2 wherein the power level of the signal is adjustable within at least one of the first and the second range of power levels.

4. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 2 wherein the power level of the signal is fixed within at least one of the first and the second range of power levels.

5. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 2 wherein the power level of the signal is fixed within the first range of power levels when the detector is in the first state and adjustable within the second range of power levels when the detector is in the second state.

6. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 2 wherein the first and the second range of power levels of the transmitter further comprise Class 3, low power levels, and Class 2, mid-range power levels, respectively.

7. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 2

wherein the controller notifies a base station via the transmitter that the transmitter is operable to transmit the signal at a power level within the first range of power levels and at a power level within the second range of power levels when the detector is in the first state and the second state, respectively.

8. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 7 wherein the notification occurs during a telephone call.

9. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

a housing including the detector, the transmitter and the controller;

wherein the antenna element is axially retracted substantially inside the housing when the antenna element is moved to the stowed position and axially extended substantially outside the housing when the antenna element is moved to the unstowed position.

10. A portable radiotelephone comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting a signal at a power level within one of a plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels is indicative of a maximum power level of the signal therein;

means for selecting one of the plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels for transmitting the signal; and

means for notifying a base station during a telephone call that the transmitter is operable to transmit the signal at the selected one of the plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels.

11. A portable radiotelephone in accordance with claim 10 wherein the means for selecting further comprises antenna means including an antenna element moveable between a stowed and an unstowed position, wherein a first and a second range of power levels of the plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels are selected when the antenna element is moved to the stowed and the unstowed position, respectively.

12. A method of operating a portable radiotelephone, the portable radiotelephone including an antenna element moveable between a stowed position and an unstowed position and including a transmitter for transmitting a signal at a first power level or a second power level, wherein the second power level is greater than the first power level, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the movement of the antenna element between the stowed and the unstowed position, wherein the movement of the antenna causes the detector to be in a first state when the antenna element is moved to the stowed position and causes the detector to be in a second state when the antenna element is moved to the unstowed position; and

controlling the transmitter to transmit the signal at the first power level when the detector is in the first state and controls the transmitter to transmit the signal at the second power level when the detector is in the second state.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12 wherein the step of transmitting further comprises the step of

adjusting the power level of the signal within at least one of the first and the second range of power levels.

14. A method in accordance with claim 12 wherein the step of transmitting further comprises the step of

fixing the power level of the signal within at least one of the first and the second range of power levels.

15. A method in accordance with claim 12 further comprising the step of

notifying a base station that the transmitter is operable to transmit the signal at the power level within the first and the second range of power levels when the antenna element is moved to the stowed and the unstowed position, respectively.

16. A method in accordance with claim 12 wherein the step of

notifying occurs during a telephone call.

17. A method of operating a portable radiotelephone comprising the steps of:

transmitting a signal at a power level within one of a plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels is indicative of a maximum power level of the signal therein;

selecting one of the plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels for transmitting the signal; and

notifying a base station during a telephone call that the signal is operable to be transmitted at the selected one of the plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein the step of selecting further comprises the step of detecting movement of an antenna element of antenna means between a stowed and an unstowed position, wherein a first and a second range of power levels of the plurality of predetermined ranges of power levels are selected when the antenna element is moved to the stowed and the unstowed position, respectively.

19. A portable communication device comprising:

an antenna moveable between a stowed position and an unstowed position;

a detector for detecting the movement of the antenna between the stowed and the unstowed position;

a transmitter for transmitting a signal at one of a first power level and a second power level within at least one predetermined range of power levels, wherein the second power level is greater than the first power level within the at least one predetermined range of power levels; and

a controller, coupled to the detector and the transmitter, for controlling the transmitter to transmit the signal at the first power level when the detector detects the antenna to be moved to the stowed position and for controlling the transmitter to transmit the signal at the second power level when the detector detects the antenna to be moved to the unstowed position.

20. A portable radiotelephone comprising:

an antenna moveable between a stowed position and an unstowed position;

a detector for detecting when the antenna is in the stowed position and the unstowed position;

a transmitter for transmitting a signal at one of a plurality of predetermined power steps up to a maximum power step, wherein the maximum power step is a first maximum power step when the detector detects that the antenna is in the stowed position, and wherein the maximum power step is a second maximum power step, higher than the first maximum power step, when the detector detects that the antenna is in the unstowed position; and

a controller for controlling the transmitter to transmit the signal at one of the plurality of predetermined power steps up to the maximum power step.

21. A method of operating a portable radiotelephone comprising the steps of:

detecting movement of an antenna between a stowed position and an unstowed position; and

transmitting a signal at one of a plurality of predetermined power steps up to a maximum power step, wherein the maximum power step is a first maximum power step when the detector detects that the antenna is in the stowed position, and wherein the maximum power step is a second maximum power step, higher than the first maximum power step, when the detector detects that the antenna is in the unstowed position.

22. A portable radiotelephone comprising:

a housing having a microphone and a speaker and adapted to be positioned against a user'"'"'s head to permit a user to speak into the microphone and listen from the earpiece speaker;

an antenna moveable between a stowed position and an unstowed position relative to the housing, wherein the antenna is positioned closer to the user'"'"'s head when the antenna is in the stowed position than when the antenna is in the unstowed position;

a transmitter for transmitting a signal at one of a plurality of predetermined power levels up to a maximum power level, wherein the maximum power level is lower when the antenna is in the stowed position than when the antenna is in the unstowed position; and

a controller for controlling the transmitter to transmit the signal at one of the plurality of predetermined power levels up to the maximum power level.