Variable sleep mode for mobile stations in a mobile communications

• US 6,480,476 B1
• Filed: 10/23/1998
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Willars, Per
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qureshi, Afsar M.
• Application Number:
  US09/177,596
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311-313, 370/328, 370/329, 370/350, 455/422, 455/343, 455/522, 455/507, 455/517, 455/500, 455/526, 455/574, 455/553, 340/7.34, 340/7.39, 340/7.54, 340/7.33, 340/825.2
• US Class Current: 370/311
• 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: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0232 according to average transmission signal activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A sleep cycle of a mobile station may be optimally varied depending upon one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation. Based on one or more of those conditions, a variable wake up parameter is determined and used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode to listen for a page. The mobile station'"'"'s variable wake up parameter is provided to a radio access network and to one or more core networks to permit coordination of communications and services with the mobile station.

Claims

1. In a cellular telecommunications system in which a battery-powered mobile station communicates with a network, a method of operating the mobile station comprising:

detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation

based on the detected one or more conditions, determining a variable wake up parameter value used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode; and

waking up at the established times,

wherein the one or more conditions includes a volume of data per unit time transmitted to or from the mobile station so that for a higher volume, the variable wake up parameter is varied to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for a lower volume, the variable wake up parameter value is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

2. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

providing the mobile station'"'"'s variable wake up parameter to the network to permit coordinated communications with the mobile station.

3. The method in claim 1, wherein the wake up parameter is calculated in accordance with the following:

S=2ⁿ, where S is the duration of a variable sleep cycle when the mobile station is in the lower power mode and n is a variable integer.

4. The method in claim 3, wherein the base station and mobile station communicate using a communications channel divided into a repeating sequence of M frames, and where n=0, 1, 2, . . . , M.

5. The method in claim 4, further comprising:

determining wake up frames (W) when the mobile station enters the higher power mode in accordance with the following;

W=(kS) modulo M, where k is an integer.

6. The method in claim 4, further comprising:

determining wake up frames (W) when the mobile station enters the higher power mode in accordance with the following;

W=(F+kS) modulo M, where F is a frame number of the communications channel selected based on an identifier associated with the mobile station.

7. In a cellular telecommunications system in which a battery-powered mobile station communicates with a network, a method of operating the mobile station comprising:

detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation;

based on the detected one or more conditions, determining a variable wake up parameter value used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode;

waking up at the established times;

further comprising;

detecting a change in one or more conditions; and

varying the value of the variable wake up parameter in response to the change.

8. The method in claim 7, wherein the mobile station may operate at plural activity levels and wherein the detected change includes the mobile station operating at a different one of the plural activity levels.

9. The method in claim 8, wherein the plural activity levels correspond to different procedures used to locate the mobile station.

10. The method in claim 8, wherein the detected change includes the mobile initiating a change in the one or more conditions while the mobile station is operating in only one of the activity levels.

11. In a cellular telecommunications system in which a battery-powered mobile station communicates with a network, a method of operating the mobile station comprising:

detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation;

based on the detected one or more conditions, determining a variable wake up parameter value used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode; and

waking up at the established times,

wherein the one or more conditions includes a service currently requested or subscribed by the mobile station so that for a current service requiring a lower delay, the variable wake up parameter value is varied to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for a current service permitting a higher delay, the variable wake up parameter value is varied to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

12. In a cellular telecommunications system in which a battery-powered mobile station communicates with a network, a method of operating the mobile station comprising:

detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation;

based on the detected one or more conditions, determining a variable wake up parameter value used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode; and

waking up at the established times,

wherein the service includes a maximum delay parameter and the value of the variable wake up parameter is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up to without exceeding the maximum delay parameter.

13. In a cellular telecommunications system in which a battery-powered mobile station communicates with a network, a method of operating the mobile station comprising:

detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation;

based on the detected one or more conditions, determining a variable wake up parameter value used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode; and

waking up at the established times,

wherein the one or more conditions includes a delay input from a user of the mobile station so that for a lower delay, the variable wake up parameter value is varied to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for a higher delay, the variable wake up parameter value is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

14. In a cellular telecommunications system in which a battery-powered mobile station communicates with a network, a method of operating the mobile station comprising:

detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation;

based on the detected one or more conditions, determining a variable wake up parameter value used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode; and

waking up at the established times,

wherein the one or more conditions includes a power savings input from a user of the mobile station so that for greater power savings, the variable wake up parameter value is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for decreased call setup delay, the variable wake up parameter value is varied to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

15. In a cellular telecommunications system in which a battery-powered mobile station communicates with a network, a method of operating the mobile station comprising:

detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation;

based on the detected one or more conditions, determining a variable wake up parameter value used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode; and

waking up at the established times,

wherein the one or more conditions includes the type of power source currently powering the mobile station so that for a power source having a shorter life, the variable wake up cycle parameter is varied to increase the cycle, or for a power source having a longer life, the variable wake up cycle parameter is varied to decrease the cycle.

16. In a radio communications system having plural battery-operated mobile stations capable of communicating with one or more core networks using a radio access network, where one of the mobile stations may operate at plural activity levels, a method comprising:

storing a corresponding variable sleep cycle parameter value for the one mobile station for each activity level;

determining a current activity level of the one mobile station;

determining a first time interval when the one mobile station will awaken from a lower power sleep mode of operation to a higher power mode of operation using the variable sleep cycle parameter value corresponding to the detected activity level; and

sending a message to the one mobile station on the communications channel during the first time interval.

17. The method in claim 16, wherein when the one mobile station changes to a new activity level, the method further comprises:

determining a second time interval when the one mobile station will awaken from a sleep cycle using the variable sleep cycle parameter value corresponding to the new activity level.

18. The method in claim 16, wherein when the one mobile station is in the current activity level, the method further comprising:

changing the variable sleep cycle parameter value corresponding to the current activity level to a changed value, and

determining a second time interval when the one mobile station will awaken from a sleep cycle using the changed variable sleep cycle parameter value.

19. The method in claim 18, wherein the mobile station changes the variable sleep cycle parameter value.

20. The method in claim 16, wherein for a higher current activity, the variable wake up cycle parameter value is varied to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for a lower current activity, the variable wake up cycle parameter value is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

21. The method in claim 16, further comprising:

detecting a decrease in current activity level when the time since a last data transmission exceeds a threshold, and

increasing the variable sleep cycle parameter value.

22. The method in claim 21, wherein after the increasing step the method further comprises:

when data is transmitted, resetting the variable sleep cycle parameter value to a default value.

23. The method in claim 16, wherein the plural activity levels correspond to different procedures used to locate the mobile station, the plural activity levels including a first activity level where a user is registered at a base station cell known to the radio access network, a second activity level where a user is registered in a smaller group of base station cells known by the radio access network, and a third larger group of base station cells known by the one or more core networks.

24. The method in claim 16, wherein the determining and sending steps are performed by radio access network.

25. A method for a radio communications system having plural battery-operated mobile stations capable of communicating with a core network using a radio access network, comprising:

determining a service currently requested or subscribed by the mobile station, and

wherein for a current service requiring a lower delay, varying the variable wake up cycle parameter value to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for a current service permitting a higher delay, varying the variable wake up cycle parameter value to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

26. The method in claim 25, wherein the service includes a maximum delay parameter and the value of the variable wake up cycle parameter is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up to without exceeding the maximum delay parameter.

27. The method in claim 25, further comprising:

detecting a delay input from a user of the mobile station,

wherein for a lower delay, the variable wake up cycle parameter value is varied to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for a higher delay, the variable wake up cycle parameter value is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

28. The method in claim 25, further comprising:

detecting a power savings input from a user of the mobile station,

wherein for greater power savings, the variable wake up cycle parameter value is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for decreased call setup delay, the variable wake up cycle parameter value is varied to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

29. The method in claim 25, further comprising:

detecting a type of power source currently powering the mobile station,

wherein for a power source having a shorter life, the variable wake up cycle parameter is varied to increase the cycle, or for a power source having a longer life, the variable wake up cycle parameter is varied to decrease the cycle.

30. The method in claim 25, wherein the wake up cycle parameter is calculated in accordance with the following:

S=2ⁿ, where S is the duration of a variable sleep cycle when the mobile station is in the lower power mode and n is a variable integer.

31. The method in claim 30, wherein the communications channel includes a series of repeating frames and the first time interval corresponds to one the frames, and where n=0, 1, 2, . . . , M.

32. The method in claim 31, further comprising:

determining wake up frames (W) when the mobile station enters the higher power mode in accordance with the following;

W=(kS) modulo M, where k is an integer.

33. The method in claim 31, further comprising:

determining wake up frames (W) when the mobile station enters the higher power mode in accordance with the following;

W=(F+kS) modulo M, where F is a frame number of the communications channel selected based on an identifier associated with the mobile station.

34. In a radio communications system having plural battery-operated mobile stations capable of communicating with first and second core networks, a method comprising:

storing a first variable sleep parameter value for one of the mobile stations at the first core network and a second variable sleep parameter value for the one mobile station at the second core network;

determining a time interval when the one mobile station will awaken from a lower power sleep mode of operation to a higher power mode of operation taking into account one or both of the first and second variable sleep parameter values; and

sending a message to the one mobile station on a communications channel from one of the core networks during the first time interval.

35. The method in claim 34, wherein storing step includes storing a mobile station identifier for the one mobile station and the corresponding one of the first and second variable sleep parameter values for the one mobile station at both of the core networks.

36. The method in claim 35, further comprising:

storing at the one mobile station the one mobile station identifier and the first and second variable sleep parameter values for the one mobile station.

37. The method in claim 34, wherein the first and second variable sleep parameter values are selected so that a first time interval determined for the first variable sleep parameter value and a second time interval determined for the second variable sleep parameter value are synchronized.

38. The method in claim 37, wherein the first and second time intervals are defined as a power of 2.

39. The method in claim 37, wherein the first and second time intervals are calculated in accordance with the following:

S1=2ⁿ¹, where S1 is the first time interval when the one mobile station is in the lower power mode and n1 is an integer corresponding to the first variable sleep parameter, and S2=2ⁿ², where S2 is the second time interval when the one mobile station is in the lower power mode and n2 is an integer corresponding to the second variable sleep parameter.

40. The method in claim 39, wherein the communications channel includes a series of repeating M frames, and where n1=0, 1, 2, . . . , M and n2=0, 1, 2, . . . , M.

41. The method in claim 40, further comprising:

determining wake up frames (W) when the mobile station enters the higher power mode in accordance with the following;

W=(k2ⁿ¹) modulo M, where k is an integer, if n1≦

n2, or

W=(k2ⁿ²)modulo M, where k is an integer, if n2<

n1.

42. The method in claim 40, further comprising:

determining wake up frames (W) when the mobile station enters the higher power mode in accordance with the following;

W=(F+k2ⁿ¹) modulo M, where k is an integer, if n1≦

n2, and F is a frame number of the communications channel selected based on an identifier associated with the mobile station, and

W=(F+k2ⁿ²) if n2<

n1.

43. A method of operating a battery-powered mobile radio that communicates over a communications channel in which messages are communicated in a series of M repeating frames, comprising:

determining a variable sleep cycle S when the mobile radio is in a lower power consumption mode, where S=2ⁿ and n is an integer who value is variably determined by the mobile radio, and

determining a wake up time W when the mobile radio leaves the lower power consumption sleep cycle and enters a higher power awake mode, where W=(kS) modulo M and k is an integer.

44. The method in claim 43, wherein W is determined further in accordance with W=(F+kS) modulo M, where F is a frame number of the communications channel selected based on an identifier associated with the mobile station.

45. The method in claim 43, further comprising:

providing the mobile station'"'"'s variable sleep mode parameter n to the network to permit coordinated communications with the mobile station.

46. The method in claim 43, further comprising:

detecting a change in one or more conditions, and

varying the value of the variable sleep mode parameter n in response to the change.

47. The method in claim 43, further comprising:

determining the value of the variable sleep mode parameter n in accordance with one or more of the following;

a volume of data per unit time transmitted to or from the mobile station, an activity level of the mobile station, a procedure used to locate the mobile station, a type of radio channel associated with operation of the mobile station, a service currently requested or subscribed by the mobile station, and a power input associated with the mobile station.

48. A battery-operated mobile station, comprising:

transceiving circuitry for transmitting and receiving data;

a detector for detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation; and

a sleep cycle controller for determining a variable wake up cycle parameter used to establish a cycle when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode based on the detected one or more conditions,

wherein the sleep cycle controller is configured to operate the transceiving circuitry in accordance with the determined variable wake up cycle parameter.

49. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the detector is configured to detect a change in one or more conditions and varies the value of the variable wake up cycle parameter in response to the detected change.

50. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the detector is a data activity detector is configured to detect a current level of data being transmitted from or received by the mobile station.

51. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the mobile station may operate at plural activity levels, and wherein the detected change includes the mobile station changing from operation at one of the plural activity levels to operation at another of the plural activity levels.

52. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 51, wherein different procedures used to locate the mobile station for each of the activity levels.

53. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 51, wherein the detected change includes the sleep cycle controller initiates a change in the one or more conditions while the mobile station is operating in only one of the activity levels.

54. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the one or more conditions includes a current activity level of the mobile station so that for a higher current activity, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter value to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for a lower current activity, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter value to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

55. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the one or more conditions includes a service currently requested or subscribed by the mobile station so that for a current service requiring a lower delay, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter value to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for a current service permitting a higher delay, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter value to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

56. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the service includes a maximum delay parameter and the value of the variable wake up cycle parameter is varied to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up to without exceeding the maximum delay parameter.

57. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the one or more conditions includes a delay input from a user of the mobile station so that for a lower delay, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter value to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, and for a higher delay, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter value to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

58. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the one or more conditions includes a power savings input from a user of the mobile station so that for greater power savings, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter value to decrease the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up, or for decreased call setup delay, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter value to increase the frequency at which the mobile station wakes up.

59. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the one or more conditions includes the type of power source currently powering the mobile station so that for a power source having a shorter life, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter to increase the cycle, and for a power source having a longer life, the sleep cycle controller varies the variable wake up cycle parameter to decrease the cycle.

60. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 48, wherein the sleep cycle controller calculates wake up cycle parameter in accordance with the following:

S=2ⁿ, where S is the duration of a variable sleep cycle when the mobile station is in the lower power mode and n is a variable integer.

61. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 60, wherein the mobile station communicates with a network using a communications channel divided into a repeating sequence of M frames, and where n=0, 1, 2, . . . , M.

62. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 61, wherein n is a power of 2.

63. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 61, the sleep cycle controller determining wake up frames (W) when the mobile station enters the higher power mode in accordance with the following:

W=(kS) modulo M, where k is an integer.

64. The battery-operated mobile station in claim 61, further comprising:

determining wake up frames (W) when the mobile station enters the higher power mode in accordance with the following;

W=(F+kS) modulo M, where F is a frame number of the communications channel selected based on an identifier associated with the mobile station.

65. Apparatus for communicating over a communications channel in which messages are communicated in a series of M repeating frames, comprising:

circuitry for transmitting and receiving data, and

a sleep cycle controller configured to determine a variable sleep cycle S when the mobile radio is to operate in a lower power consumption mode, where S=2ⁿand a variable sleep mode parameter n is an integer whose value is variably determined, and to determine a wake up time W when the mobile radio leaves the lower power consumption sleep cycle and to operate in a higher power awake mode, where W=(kS) modulo M, and k is an integer.

66. The apparatus in claim 65, wherein W is determined further in accordance with W=(F+kS) modulo M, where F is a frame number of the communications channel selected based on an identifier associated with the mobile station.

67. The apparatus in claim 65, further comprising:

a detector configured to detect a change in one or more conditions,

wherein the sleep cycle controller is configured to vary the value of the variable sleep mode parameter n in response to the change.

68. The apparatus in claim 65, further comprising:

wherein the sleep cycle controller is configured to determine the value of the variable sleep mode parameter n in accordance with one or more of the following;

a volume of data per unit time transmitted to or from the mobile station, an activity level of the mobile station, a procedure used to locate the mobile station, a type of radio channel associated with operation of the mobile station, a service currently requested or subscribed by the mobile station, and a power input associated with the mobile station.

69. In a cellular telecommunications system in which a battery-powered mobile station communicates with a network, a method of operating the mobile station comprising:

detecting one or more conditions relating to the mobile station'"'"'s operation;

based on the detected condition, determining a variable wake up parameter value used to establish times when the mobile station automatically leaves a lower power mode and enters a higher power mode; and

waking up at the established times,

wherein the one or more conditions includes one of different procedures used to locate the mobile stations or one of different types of radio channels associated with the operation of the mobile station.

70. In a radio communications system having plural battery-operated mobile stations capable of communicating with one or more core networks using a radio access network and operating at plural activity levels, a method performed by the radio access network comprising:

determining a service currently requested or subscribed by a mobile station;

storing a corresponding variable sleep cycle parameter value for the mobile station for each activity level;

determining a current activity level of the mobile station;

determining a time interval when the mobile station will awaken from a lower power sleep mode of operation to a higher power mode of operation using the variable sleep cycle parameter value corresponding to the detected activity level; and

sending a message to the mobile station on the communications channel during the time interval.