Communications device and a method for control of its operation

• US 6,487,400 B2
• Filed: 03/12/1999
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Joeressen, Olaf Johannes, Schetelig, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US09/267,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20020123374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343, 455/572, 455/574, 455/556, 455/558, 455/127, 370/311
• US Class Current: 455/343.1
• 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 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a communications device which has a main operating unit (10) and a subunit (11). In order to ensure that as little energy as possible is consumed, the invention provides that, after an operating period, operating state data for the main unit (10) are stored in a status memory (18) in the subunit (11) and, after this, the voltage supply for the main operating unit (10) is switched off in order to change the communications device to an energy saving mode, and in that, after the voltage supply for the main operating unit (10) has been switched on, the stored operating state data are transmitted from the status memory (18) to the main operating unit (10) in order to operate the communications device during the following operating period.

Claims

1. Method for controlling a communications device which has a main operating unit and a subunit,

in which after one operating period, operating state data for the main operating unit and for regenerating operating parameters for the next operating period of the main operating unit are stored in a status memory in the subunit and, after this, the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched off in order to change the communications device to an energy saving method, and

in which after the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched on, the stored operating state data are transmitted from the status memory to the main operating unit in order to regenerate operating parameters therefrom to operate the communications device during the following operating period.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched on by means of a switch-on signal from the subunit after a respectively predetermined waiting time has elapsed.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the end of the waiting time is defined in the subunit with the aid of a clocked counter whose running count is compared with a first comparison value which corresponds to the waiting time and is transmitted from the main operating unit to the subunit.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the counter is restarted after the waiting time has elapsed, in that the running count is compared with a second comparison value in order to supply the time indicator to the main operating unit, and this time indicator is used to define the start time of the following operating period.

5. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the counter is started with the aid of a software reset command which is supplied from the main operating unit.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a time indicator is produced at a time after the voltage supply for the main operating unit has been switched on, in order to define the start time for the following operating period.

7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the waiting time is predetermined for the subunit as a function of the time interval between the time indicator and the start time of the following operating period by the main operating unit.

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a clock signal is transmitted from the main operating unit to the subunit in order to store the operating state data for the main operating unit in the status memory in the subunit and in order to read the operating state data from the status memory.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating periods of the main operating unit are matched to time slots which recur at regular intervals and during which the main operating unit interchanges data with a higher-level communications device.

10. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that operating periods are started by an external event which occurs at regular intervals at least during a time period which comprises a plurality of operating periods, in particular by means of a burst which can be received by the main operating unit.

11. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that operating periods are in each case started as soon as their start time has been defined with the aid of the time indicator.

12. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the main operating unit produces a switch-on hold signal in order to maintain its voltage supply after switching on during the operating period and to switch itself off after the end of the operating period.

13. Method for controlling a communications device which has a main operating unit and a subunit,

in which, after one operating period, operating state data for the main operating unit are stored in a status memory in the subunit and, after this, the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched off in order to change the communications device to an energy saving method,

in which, after the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched on, the stored operating state data are transmitted from the status memory to the main operating unit in order to operate the communications device during the following operating period,

wherein a time indicator is produced at a time after the voltage supply for the main operating unit has been switched on, in order to define the start time for the following operating period, and

wherein the time interval between the time indicator for the start time and the following operating period is measured by the main operating unit in order to optimize the duration of the effective time for which the main operating unit is switched off in a communications device whose main operating unit operates periodically.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched on by means of a switch-on signal from the subunit after a respectively predetermined waiting time has elapsed.

15. Method for controlling a communications device which has a main operating unit and subunit,

in which, after one operating period, operating state data for the main operating unit are stored in a status memory in the subunit and, after this, the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched off in order to change the communications device to an energy saving method,

in which, after the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched on, the stored operating state data are transmitted from the status memory to the main operating unit in order to operate the communications device during the following operating period,

wherein a time indicator is produced at a time after the voltage supply for the main operating unit has been switched on, in order to define the start time for the following operating period,

wherein the waiting time is predetermined for the subunit as a function of the time interval between the time indicator and the start time of the following operating period by the main operating unit, and the waiting time can be redefined for each operating period.

16. Method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched on by means of a switch-on signal from the subunit after a respectively predetermined waiting time has elapsed.

17. Communications device;

in particular a submodule of a telecommunications unit, which interchanges data with a main module during time slots which occur at regular intervals;

having a main operating unit for carrying out assigned functions, and having a subunit which has a status memory for operating state data for the main operating unit, and a timing circuit which controls the voltage supply for the main operating unit;

characterized in that the timing circuit has a clocked counter whose counter output is connected to one input of a comparison circuit, which compares the count from the counter with a comparison value which is defined by the main operating unit, in order to produce a switch-on signal for the voltage supply for the main operating unit.

18. Communications device according to claim 17 characterized in that the counter in the subunit is clocked by a clock generator which is integrated in a further electronic device with which the communications device is associated.

19. Communications device according to claim 17 characterized in that a bus having a clock signal line and a data line is provided for data interchange between the main operating unit and the subunit, so that a fast memory and read clock, respectively, can be transmitted to the subunit in order to store and read the operating state data in and from, respectively, the status memory.

20. Method for controlling a communications device which ha a main operating unit and a subunit,

in which, after one operating period, operating state data for the main operating unit are stored in a status memory in the subunit and, after this, the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched off in order to change the communications device to an energy saving method,

in which, after the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched on, the stored operating state data are transmitted from the status memory to the main operating unit in order to operate the communications device during the following operating period,

wherein the voltage supply for the main operating unit is switched on by means of a switch-on signal from the subunit after a respectively predetermined waiting time has elapsed,

wherein the end of the waiting time is defined in the subunit with the aid of a clocked counter whose running count is compared with a first comparison value which corresponds to the waiting time and is transmitted from the main operating unit to the subunit,

wherein the counter is restarted after the waiting time has elapsed, in that the running count is compared with a second comparison value in order to supply the time indicator to the main operating unit, and this time indicator is used to define the start time of the following operating period.

21. Communications device;

in particular a submodule of a telecommunications unit, which interchanges data with a main module during time slots which occur at regular intervals;

having a main operating unit for carrying out assigned functions, and having a subunit which has a status memory for operating state data for the main operating unit, and a timing circuit which controls the voltage supply for the main operating unit,

wherein the timing circuit has a clocked counter whose counter output is connected to one input of a comparison circuit, which compares the count from the counter with a comparison value which is defined by the main operating unit, in order to produce a switch-on signal for the voltage supply for the main operating unit.

22. Communications device according to claim 21, characterized in that one output of the comparison circuit is applied to a hold circuit which emits the switch-on signal for a time period.

23. Communications device according to claim 21, characterized in that the timing circuit has a second comparison circuit, which compares the count with a second comparison value, in order to supply to the main operating unit an output signal which provides a time indicator for defining the start time of the following operating period for the main operating unit.

24. Communications device according to claim 21, characterized in that the output signal of the second comparison circuit is supplied to the main operating unit via a gate circuit as an indicator signal, which gate circuit is controlled by an enable signal, which indicates the type of switch-on process.