Methods and apparatus for mobile phone power management

• US 6,445,937 B1
• Filed: 12/02/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: daSilva, Ivan Pereira
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, TUAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/452,969
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 455/571, 455/572, 455/573, 455/574, 455/343
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile telephone power management method and apparatus is disclosed that places the telephone in a dormant, or idle, mode. In this mode, battery power is only supplied to a device incorporated into the mobile telephone that monitors incoming radio frequency (RF) signals. If the device detects an inbound call, the device sends signals to switch on battery power to the mobile telephone baseband microprocessor. The device also sends stored registration information to the baseband microprocessor, thereby allowing the telephone to rapidly switch to active mode, and to answer the inbound call. This method allows the telephone to effectively emulate standby mode for weeks rather than days without the need for battery recharging.

Claims

1. An idle power control subsystem for controlling a low power idle operational mode of a mobile telephone, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) receiver, the receiver being operable to only receive RF signals;

a mobile identification number (MIN) detector connected to an output of said RF receiver;

a baseband converter for converting analog RF signals from said MIN detector to digital signals;

a battery power control circuit operable to switch a mobile telephone into and out of idle mode; and

a main control circuit being operable to send a signal to said battery power control circuit upon said main control circuit receiving the MIN of said mobile telephone to increase battery power to a mobile telephone baseband processor.

2. The idle power control subsystem of claim 1 further comprising a memory for storing registration information for said mobile telephone.

3. The idle power control subsystem of claim 1 wherein said main control circuit is a low power microprocessor having a relatively low clock frequency.

4. The idle power control subsystem of claim 1 wherein the power control subsystem comprises an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

5. A mobile telephone for communicating with a mobile telephone network, said mobile telephone being operable to switch into a battery power conserving idle mode comprising:

a mobile telephone baseband microprocessor;

a memory;

a battery;

an antenna system for receiving and transmitting RF signals;

an electronic power switch operable to manually or electronically switch said baseband microprocessor on and off; and

an idle power control subsystem, said idle power control subsystem being operable to send a signal to said electronic power switch to control the operational mode of the mobile telephone upon detection of an incoming call.

6. The mobile telephone of claim 5 wherein said idle power control subsystem comprises:

a radio frequency (RF) receiver, the receiver being operable to only receive RF signals;

a mobile identification number (MIN) detector;

a baseband converter for converting analog RF signals from said MIN detector to digital signals;

a memory;

a battery power control circuit for switching a mobile telephone into and out of idle mode; and

a main control circuit being operable to send a signal to said battery power control circuit upon said main control circuit receiving the MIN of said mobile telephone.

7. The mobile telephone of claim 6 wherein said main control circuit is a low power microprocessor.

8. The mobile telephone of claim 6 wherein the idle power control subsystem comprises an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

9. The mobile telephone of claim 5 wherein said idle power control subsystem is operable to switch said mobile telephone into idle mode after a predetermined period of time.

10. The mobile telephone of claim 5, further comprising a mobile identification number (MIN) detector, and wherein said idle power control subsystem is operable to switch said mobile telephone out of idle mode upon said mobile identification number (MIN) detector detecting the MIN of said mobile telephone.

11. A method for minimizing the power consumption of a mobile telephone having a mobile telephone baseband processor, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a registration of a mobile telephone with a mobile telephone network;

completing said registration and stoning said registration information in a memory;

determining that the telephone'"'"'s MIN, indicating an incoming call, has not been detected during a predetermined period of time; and

sending a signal to a power control circuit separate from the mobile telephone baseband processor in response to the passage of the predetermined period of time, said power control circuit being operable to substantially reduce the power supplied to the mobile telephone baseband processor to switch said mobile telephone to an idle power mode, thereby conserving battery power.

12. A method for controlling the operational mode of a mobile telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving mobile telephone RF signals;

monitoring said RF signals for the mobile identification number (MIN) associated with said mobile telephone;

detecting said MIN, said MIN indicating an incoming telephone call;

converting said RF signals indicating an incoming telephone call to digital signals; and

sending said digital signals to a low power microprocessor, which upon recognizing an incoming telephone call generates an output signal to controllably increase the power supplied to a mobile telephone baseband microprocessor.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

sending said output signal from said low power microprocessor to a power control circuit; and

switching on battery power to provide operating power to the mobile telephone baseband microprocessor.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

utilizing said low power microprocessor to retrieve mobile telephone registration information stored in a memory; and

sending said registration information to the mobile. telephone baseband microprocessor, thereby rapidly switching said mobile telephone from idle mode to active mode.

15. A method for minimizing the power consumption of a mobile telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a registration of said mobile telephone with a mobile telephone network;

sending said registration information from the mobile telephone network to a mobile switching center;

storing said registration information in a mobile switching center database;

sending a message from said mobile telephone to the mobile switching center database, said message indicating that an idle power control subsystem is automatically switching the mobile telephone to an idle power mode; and

sending a signal from said idle power control subsystem to a power control circuit, said power control circuit being operable to switch said mobile telephone to an idle power mode in response to said signal, thereby conserving battery power.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said registration information stored in said database includes a mobile identification number (MIN) associated with said mobile telephone.

17. A method for controlling the operational mode of a mobile telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a mobile identification number (MIN) from a public telephone network, said MIN associated with a mobile telephone, and sending said MIN to a mobile switching center;

looking up said MIN in a database associated with a mobile switching center;

retrieving mobile telephone registration information associated with said MIN from said database;

sending said mobile telephone registration information to a mobile telephone base station;

transmitting said MIN and registration information from said mobile telephone base station to a mobile telephone associated with said MIN;

receiving the MIN and registration information from said mobile telephone and sending said registration information to an idle power control subsystem;

sending a signal from said idle power control subsystem to a battery power control circuit to switch on a mobile telephone baseband microprocessor;

sending said registration information from said idle power control subsystem to said baseband microprocessor; and

rapidly switching said mobile telephone from idle mode to active mode utilizing the signals from the idle power control subsystem.

18. A method for updating the registration information stored in the memory of a mobile telephone, the method comprising the steps of

switching a mobile telephone from idle mode to active mode after a predetermined period of time;

initiating a registration of said mobile telephone with a mobile telephone network;

storing said updated registration information in a mobile telephone memory; and

sending a signal to a power control circuit, said power control circuit being operable to switch said mobile telephone to an idle power mode upon detection of an incoming call, thereby conserving battery power.