Method and radio terminal equipment arrangement for power control, radio terminal equipment and secondary terminal unit

• US 7,136,667 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2003
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Lilja, Antti, Maarala, Mika
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US10/695,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/419, 455/69, 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/421, 455/422.1, 455/575.6, 455/575.9, 455/569.1, 455/115.1
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/281 taking into account user or data type priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment

Abstract

The invention relates to radio terminal equipment arrangement comprising radio terminal equipment and one or more secondary terminal units, the radio terminal equipment being configured to communicate with the one or more secondary terminal units by using wireless low-power radio frequency (LPRF) connections, and to use a predetermined transmitter power class. The radio terminal equipment is further configured to detect a change in a usage environment of the radio terminal equipment; and to change the transmitter power class of the radio terminal equipment based on the changed usage environment of the radio terminal equipment.

Claims

1. A method of power control in a radio terminal equipment arrangement, the method comprising communicating, by radio terminal equipment, with one or more secondary units of the radio terminal equipment arrangement by using a low power radio frequency (LPRF) connection, the radio terminal equipment arrangement using a predetermined transmitter power class, the method further comprising:

detecting a change in a usage environment of the radio terminal equipment;

changing the transmitter power class of the radio terminal equipment based on the usage environment of the radio terminal equipment; and

sending a control command, by the radio terminal equipment, to one or more secondary units of the radio terminal equipment arrangement for changing the transmitter power or the transmitter power class of the secondary unit.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising changing the transmitter power class of the one or more secondary units of the radio terminal equipment arrangement based on the usage environment of the radio terminal equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising establishing a connection between the radio terminal equipment and a charging device and detecting the change in the usage environment based on establishing a connection between the radio terminal equipment and the charging device.

4. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising changing the transmitter power class to a transmitter power class using a higher power level when the establishment of the connection between the radio terminal equipment and the charging device is detected.

5. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising ending a connection between the radio terminal equipment and a charging device and detecting a change in the usage environment based on the ended connection between the radio terminal equipment and the charging device.

6. The method of claim 5, the method further comprising changing the transmitter power class to a transmitter power class using a lower power level when the ending of the connection between the radio terminal equipment and the charging device is detected.

7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising detecting a change in the usage environment based on detecting, by a sensor device, a predetermined distance between the radio terminal equipment and a human body.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter power class is a Bluetooth power class.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the LPRF connection is a Bluetooth, an infrared, or a WLAN connection.

10. A radio terminal equipment arrangement comprising radio terminal equipment and one or more secondary units, the radio terminal equipment being configured to communicate with the one or more secondary units by using wireless low-power radio frequency (LPRF) connections, and to use a predetermined transmitter power class, the radio terminal equipment further being configured to:

detect a change in a usage environment of the radio terminal equipment;

change the transmitter power class of the radio terminal equipment based on the changed usage environment of the radio terminal equipment; and

send a control command to one or more secondary units of the radio terminal equipment arrangement to change the transmitter power or the transmitter power class of the secondary unit.

11. The radio terminal equipment arrangement of claim 10, the one or more secondary units of the radio terminal equipment arrangement further being configured to change the transmitter power or the transmitter power class of the secondary unit based on the usage environment of the radio terminal equipment.

12. The radio terminal equipment arrangement of claim 10, the radio terminal equipment further being configured to establish a connection between the radio terminal equipment and a charging device and to detect the change in the usage environment based on establishing a connection between the radio terminal equipment and a charging device.

13. The radio terminal equipment arrangement of claim 12, the radio terminal equipment further being configured to change the transmitter power class to a transmitter power class using a higher power level when the establishment of the connection between the radio terminal equipment and the charging device is detected.

14. The radio terminal equipment arrangement of claim 12, the radio terminal equipment being further configured to end a connection between the radio terminal equipment and a charger device, and to detect a change in the usage environment based on the ended connection between the radio terminal equipment and the charging device.

15. The radio terminal equipment arrangement of claim 14, the radio terminal equipment further being configured to change the transmitter power class to a transmitter power class using a lower power level when the ending of the connection between the radio terminal equipment and the charging device is detected.

16. The radio terminal equipment arrangement of claim 10, the radio terminal equipment comprising a sensor device being configured to detect a predetermined distance between the radio terminal equipment and a human body, and the radio terminal equipment being configured to detect a change in the usage environment based on the detected distance between the radio terminal equipment and the human body.

17. The radio terminal equipment arrangement of claim 10, wherein the radio terminal equipment and/or the one or more secondary units is/are a mobile station.

18. The radio terminal equipment arrangement of claim 10, wherein the radio terminal equipment and/or the one or more secondary units is/are a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) device or a portable computer.

19. Radio terminal equipment configured to communicate with one or more secondary units in a radio terminal equipment arrangement by using wireless low-power radio frequency (LPRF) connections, and to use a predetermined transmitter power class, the radio terminal equipment comprising:

detecting means for detecting a change in a usage environment of the radio terminal equipment;

power class changing means for changing the transmitter power class of the radio terminal equipment based on the changed usage environment of the radio terminal equipment; and

controlling means for sending a control command to one or more secondary units of the radio terminal equipment arrangement to change the transmitter power or the transmitter power class of the secondary unit.

20. The radio terminal equipment of claim 19, wherein the detecting means are configured to detect a change in the usage environment based on establishing a connection between the radio terminal equipment and a charging device.

21. The radio terminal equipment of claim 19, wherein the detecting means are configured to detect a change in the usage environment based on ending a connection between the radio terminal equipment and a charging device.

22. The radio terminal equipment of claim 19, wherein the detecting means are configured to detect a change in the usage environment based on detecting a predetermined distance between the radio terminal equipment and a human body.