Power saving method and apparatus for radio base station

• US 6,463,050 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1998
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nagashima, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN KIM T
• Application Number:
  US09/181,166
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 370/347, 370/442, 370/458-459, 370/311, 370/350, 370/510, 370/337, 370/280, 370/282, 370/294, 455/343, 455/574
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/287 when the channel is in stand-by

Abstract

In a radio base station of a TDMA communications system, an occupied time slot is discriminated from an idle time slot in a frame to produce a discrimination signal. A power control signal for a receiver is switched between a first state and a second state in time slots depending on the discrimination signal. The power control signal is switched to the first state at timing of the occupied time slot and to the second state at timing of the idle time slot.

Claims

1. A power saving method for a radio base station in a mobile communications system using a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) format, comprising the steps of:

a) discriminating between an occupied time slot and an idle time slot in a frame to produce a discrimination signal; and

b) switching a power control signal for a receiver between a first state and a second state in time slots depending on the discrimination signal;

wherein the mobile communications system uses a multi-channel time-division multiple-access/time-division duplex (TDMA/TDD) format and the radio base station is comprised of a plurality of pairs of receiver and transmitter corresponding to different channels, wherein the step a) comprises the steps of,

discriminating between a control channel and a communication channel based on the TDMA/TDD format to produce a first discrimination signal;

discriminating between presence and absence of communication based on a received-signal strength for each time slot to produce a second discrimination signal;

discriminating between transmission timing and

reception timing based on the TDMA/TDD format to produce a third discrimination signal; and

calculating the discrimination signal from the first to third discrimination signals.

2. The power saving method according to claim 1, wherein the step b) comprises the steps of:

switching the power control signal to the first state at timing of the occupied time slot; and

switching the power control signal to the second state at timing of the idle time slot.

3. The power saving method according to claim 2, wherein the first state causes the receiver to be powered on and the second state causes the receiver to be powered off.

4. The power saving method according to claim 2, wherein the first state causes the receiver to be powered on and the second state causes the receiver to be in a standby mode.

5. A power saving apparatus for a radio base station in a mobile communications system using a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) format, comprising:

a discriminator for discriminating between an occupied time slot and an idle time slot in a frame to produce a discrimination signal; and

a controller for switching a power control signal for the receiver between a first state and a second state in time slots depending on the discrimination signal;

wherein the mobile communications system uses a multichannel time-division multiple-access/time-division duplex (TPMA/TDD) format and the radio base station is comprised of a plurality of pairs of receiver and transmitter corresponding to different channels, wherein the discriminator comprises;

a first discriminator for discriminating between a control channel and a communication channel based on the TDMA/TDD format to produce a first discrimination signal;

a second discriminator for discriminating between presence and absence of communication based on a received-signal strength for each time slot to produce a second discrimination signal;

a third discriminator for discriminating between transmission timing and reception timing based on the TDMA/TDD format to produce a third discrimination signal; and

a logic calculator for calculating the discrimination signal from the first to third discrimination signals.

6. The power saving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller switches the power control signal to the first state at timing of the occupied time slot and switches the power control signal to the second state at timing of the idle time slot.

7. The power saving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first state causes the receiver to be powered on and the second state causes the receiver to be powered off.

8. The power saving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first state causes the receiver to be powered on and the second state causes the receiver to be in a standby mode.

15. The power saving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the receiver comprises:

an analog signal section including a radio-frequency amplifier for amplifying a radio-frequency analog signal, a frequency converter for converting the radio-frequency analog signal to an intermediate-frequency analog signal by mixing it with a local oscillation signal, and an intermediate-frequency amplifier for amplifying the intermediate-frequency analog signal;

a frequency synthesizer for generating the local oscillation signal; and

a modem section including a demodulator for demodulating the high-frequency analog signal to produce a digital signal and a decoder for decoding the digital signal to produce received data,

wherein the controller switches the power control signal to the first state at timing of the occupied time slot and switches the power control signal to the second state at timing of the idle time slot.

16. The power saving apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the first state causes the receiver to be powered on;

and

the second state causes the analog signal section of the receiver to be powered off and the frequency synthesizer and the modem section to be in a standby mode.

9. A radio base station in a mobile communications system using a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) format, comprising:

a radio section including a plurality of receivers;

a power supply for supplying power to the radio section;

a discriminator for discriminating between an occupied time slot and an idle time slot in a frame to produce a discrimination signal; and

a controller for switching a power control signal between a first state and a second state in time slots depending on the discrimination signal, wherein the power control signal causes the power supply to operate;

wherein the mobile communications system uses a multichannel time-division multiple-access/time-division duplex (TPMA/TDD) format and the radio base station is comprised of a plurality of pairs of receiver and transmitter corresponding to different channels, wherein the discriminator comprises;

a first discriminator for discriminating between a control channel and a communication channel based on the TDMA/TDD format to produce a first discrimination signal;

a second discriminator for discriminating between presence and absence of communication based on a received-signal strength for each time slot to produce a second discrimination signal;

a third discriminator for discriminating between transmission timing and reception timing based on the TDMA/TDD format to produce a third discrimination signal; and

a logic calculator for calculating the discrimination signal from the first to third discrimination signals.

10. The radio base station according to claim 9, wherein the controller switches the power control signal to the first state at timing of the occupied time slot and switches the power control signal to the second state at timing of the idle time slot.

11. The radio base station according to claim 10, wherein the first state causes the receiver to be powered on and the second state causes the receiver to be powered off.

12. The radio base station according to claim 10, wherein the first state causes the receiver to be powered on and the second state causes the receiver to be in a standby mode.

13. The radio base station according to claim 9, wherein each of the receivers comprises:

an analog signal section including a radio-frequency amplifier for amplifying a radio-frequency analog signal, a frequency converter for converting the radio-frequency analog signal to an intermediate-frequency analog signal by mixing it with a local oscillation signal, and an intermediate-frequency amplifier for amplifying the intermediate-frequency analog signal;

a frequency synthesizer for generating the local oscillation signal; and

a modem section including a demodulator for demodulating the high-frequency analog signal to produce a digital signal and a decoder for decoding the digital signal to produce received data,

wherein the controller switches the power control signal to the first state at timing of the occupied time slot and switches the power control signal to the second state at timing of the idle time slot.

14. The radio base station according to claim 13, wherein

the first state causes the receiver to be powered on;

and

the second state causes the analog signal section of the receiver to be powered off and the frequency synthesizer and the modem section to be in a standby mode.