Cell phone wireless speaker-microphone sleep modes

• US 7,933,636 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2008
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seshadri, Nambirajan, Bennett, James D., Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/028,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20080132294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,172 Days
• Field of Search: 455/572, 455/573.5, 455/74, 455/575.2, 455/552.1, 455/553, 455/574, 455/573
• US Class Current: 455/574
• 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: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0238 where the received signal is an unwanted signal, e.g. interference or idle signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0283 with sequential power up or power down of successive circuit blocks, e.g. switching on the local oscillator before RF or mixer stages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A hand held radio host includes circuitry for selectively providing power to radiating transceiver elements and non-radiating application elements according to a plurality of power modes of operation to achieve desired effects and in a way that saves power and extends battery life. In one embodiment of the invention, the hand held host operates in one of three modes. In a full power mode, any selected application element, as well as all transceiver elements, are powered on at the same time. Thus, for example, a cell phone module, a wireless personal access network module, a wireless local area network module, and one of a pager/short message service message module may all be powered on at the same time to receive corresponding messages, calls, data sessions, etc.

Claims

1. A hand held transceiver, comprising:

first and second wireless transceiver units operatively coupled to function as a single system;

the first wireless transceiver unit further comprising;

first and second radio front end circuit blocks for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communication signals utilizing first and second wireless communication protocols, respectively, the first and second radio front end circuit blocks further including a plurality of transceiver elements;

wherein the first wireless transceiver unit is operable to control power levels of at least one of the first and second radio front end circuit blocks in response to a selected mode of operation; and

wherein the second radio front end circuit block is operable to transmit power control commands utilizing the second wireless communication protocol to the second wireless transceiver unit to request a silent mode of operation when the first wireless transceiver unit is in a silent mode of operation and to request a power up mode of operation based upon a broadcast signal received by the first radio front end circuit block utilizing the first wireless communication protocol; and

the second wireless transceiver unit further comprising;

third radio front end circuit block further including a plurality of transceiver elements for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communication signals utilizing the second wireless communication protocol wherein the second wireless transceiver units is operable to selectively control power levels of one or more application elements and one or more of the plurality of transceiver elements of the third radio front end circuit block based on the power control commands.

2. The hand held transceiver of claim 1 wherein the second wireless transceiver unit comprises a wireless headset host and further wherein the power control commands prompt the wireless headset host to place the plurality of transceiver elements of the third radio front end circuit block into a deep sleep mode.

3. The hand held transceiver of claim 2 wherein the plurality of transceiver elements of the third radio front end circuit block comprises at least one speaker, a microphone, and at least one amplifier.

4. The hand held transceiver of claim 2 wherein the wireless headset host is operable to exit the deep sleep mode by powering up based upon the power control commands received from the first wireless transceiver unit.

5. The hand held transceiver of claim 4 wherein the power control commands generated by the first wireless transceiver unit direct the wireless headset host into or out of a deep sleep mode based upon a broadcast channel indicating whether there are any pending messages for the hand held transceiver.

6. The hand held transceiver of claim 1 wherein the first radio front end circuit block is operable to communicate over a cellular communication protocol and wherein the second and third radio front end circuit blocks are operable to communicate over one of a wireless local area network communication protocol and a personal area network protocol.

7. The hand held transceiver of claim 1 wherein the logic is operable to place the first and second radio front end circuit blocks in a deep sleep mode and then, while keeping the second radio front end circuit block in deep sleep mode, to prompt the first radio front end circuit block to power up to search and analyze a broadcast signal to determine if there are any pending messages for the hand held transceiver.

8. The hand held transceiver of claim 1 wherein the logic is operable to prompt the second radio front end circuit block to power up to transmit a wireless signal to the third radio front end circuit block to power up.

9. The hand held transceiver of claim 1 wherein the second wireless transceiver unit includes logic for, while in a deep sleep mode of operation, to prompt the second wireless transceiver unit to periodically power up at least partially to determine if the first wireless transceiver unit is transmitting the power up wireless signal.

10. The hand held transceiver of claim 1 wherein the logic of the first wireless transceiver unit prompts at least one of front end radio transceiver circuitry, analog-to digital circuitry, digital-to-analog circuitry, and user interface circuitry to power down.

11. The hand held transceiver of claim 1 wherein the logic of the second wireless transceiver unit prompts at least one of front end radio transceiver circuitry, analog-to digital circuitry, digital-to-analog circuitry, and user interface circuitry to power down.

12. The hand held transceiver of claim 1 wherein the logic of the first wireless transceiver unit selectively powers at least one of a game module, an MP3 module, a calculator module, an audio module, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standards serial infrared communications data link, a remote I/O (RIO) module, and a cellular phone transceiver front end circuit.

13. The hand held transceiver of claim 12 wherein the first wireless transceiver unit is operable to generate control signals to place the second wireless transceiver unit into a deep sleep mode whenever transceiver elements of the first wireless transceiver unit are to be powered down.

14. A hand held transceiver, comprising:

a first wireless transceiver unit for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communication signals;

a second wireless transceiver unit for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communication signals;

a first application module for providing a first application function;

a second application module for providing a second application function;

a selective power supply module coupled to selectively provide power to the first and second wireless transceiver units and the first and second application modules; and

a control module for;

generating control signals to the selective power supply module to control when and what modules of the first and second wireless transceiver units and the first and second application modules receive power;

in response to a selected silent mode of operation, instructing the second wireless transceiver unit to transmit power control commands to a remote wireless transceiver unit, wherein the power control commands request the remote wireless transceiver unit to enter a silent mode of operation; and

in response to a broadcast signal received by the first wireless transceiver unit, instructing the second wireless transceiver unit to transmit power control commands to the remote wireless transceiver unit, wherein the power control commands request the remote wireless transceiver unit to enter a power up mode of operation.

15. The hand held transceiver of claim 14 wherein the selective power supply module comprising a plurality of power delivery agents for delivering power to each of the first and second wireless transceiver units, the IrDA data link module and the first and second application modules, wherein each power delivery agent comprises an input node for receiving the control signals from the control module.

16. The hand held transceiver of claim 14 wherein the broadcast signal received by the first wireless transceiver unit is produced by a base station.

17. The hand held transceiver of claim 16 wherein the control module includes logic for selectively powering at least one of:

a remote I/O (RIO) device, wherein one of the first and second application modules comprises the RIO device;

a cellular phone transceiver front end circuit, wherein one of the first and second wireless transceiver units comprises a WLAN cellular phone transceiver front end circuit;

a wireless headset transceiver module, wherein one of the first and second wireless transceiver units comprises the wireless headset transceiver module;

a game module, wherein one of the first and second application modules comprises the game module;

an MP3 module, wherein one of the first and second application modules comprises the MP3 module; and

a calculator module, wherein one of the first and second application modules comprises the calculator module.

18. The hand held transceiver of claim 17 further including a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches corresponding to a power mode of operation wherein the control module is coupled to receive and interpret a user selected mode of operation according to selected switch actions of the plurality of switches.

19. A hand held transceiver, comprising:

a first radio front end circuit block for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communication signals utilizing a first wireless communication protocol;

a second radio front end circuit block for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communication signals utilizing a second wireless communication protocol, wherein the second radio front end is operable to communicate with a remote wireless transceiver unit utilizing the second wireless communication protocol;

a processing module operable to;

control power levels of the first and second radio front end circuit blocks in response to a selected mode of operation; and

in response to a selected silent mode of operation of the second radio front end circuit block, instruct the second radio front end circuit block to transmit power control commands to the remote wireless transceiver unit utilizing the second wireless communication protocol, wherein the power control commands request the remote wireless transceiver unit to enter a silent mode of operation; and

in response to a broadcast signal received by the first radio front end circuit block utilizing the first wireless communication protocol, instruct the second radio front end circuit block to transmit power control commands to the remote wireless transceiver unit, wherein the power control commands request the remote wireless transceiver unit to enter a power up mode of operation.