System and method for power consumption control in a wireless device

• US 8,036,719 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ying, Wen-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US12/199,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20100056229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/343.1, 455/552.1, 370/311, 370/412, 714/760
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0248 dependent on the time of the day, e.g. according to expected transmission activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A technique for controlling power consumption in a wireless device detects data frames indicating a pause in the reception of speech frames from the wireless network. The mobile unit places the receiver circuitry in a low-power or sleep mode to thereby reduce processor cycles and save battery power. At the end of a time period, the receiver circuitry awakens to receive and process additional speech frames or to return to the low-power mode if no additional speech signals have been received.

Claims

1. A method for controlling power consumption in a wireless communication device in a circuit-switched communication network, comprising:

receiving a data frame indicating no voice activity;

monitoring received data frames after receiving the data frame indicating no voice activity to calculate a time period of no voice activity, and, after calculating the time period of no voice activity, placing a portion of receiver circuitry in a low-power mode based on the calculated time period; and

activating the receiver circuitry portion to check for a resumption of voice activity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the receiver circuitry is speech-processing circuitry that operates in the low-power mode for 160 milliseconds.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the time period of no voice activity comprises calculating an average time period of no voice activity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the receiver circuitry comprises checking a frame type of a next data frame received by the wireless communication device upon activating the receiver circuitry and, if the next data frame is a speech data frame, attenuating a signal level of the speech data frame.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising gradually increasing the signal level of subsequent speech data frames following the attenuated speech data frame.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising gradually decreasing a comfort level signal generated within the wireless communication device during subsequent speech data frames following the attenuated speech data frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver circuitry operates in accordance with an Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking a data frame for resumption of voice activity upon activating the receiver circuitry.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein checking a data frame for resumption of voice activity comprises checking a frame type of a next frame received by the wireless communication device upon activating the receiver circuitry to determine if the frame type is a speech frame.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a comfort level signal within the wireless communication device while the receiver circuitry is in the low-power mode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the comfort level signal is generated within the wireless communication device using parameters transmitted to the wireless communication device.

12. A method for controlling power consumption in a wireless communication device in a circuit-switched communication network, comprising:

receiving a data frame indicating no voice activity;

monitoring received data frames after receiving the data frame indicating no voice activity to calculate a time period of no voice activity and, after calculating the time period of no voice activity, placing a portion of receiver circuitry in the low-power mode based on the calculated time period; and

activating the receiver circuitry to check a frame type of a next data frame received by the wireless communication device and, if the next data frame is a speech data frame, maintaining activation of the receiver circuitry.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising returning to the low-power mode if the frame type of the next data frame is a frame indicating continued lack of speech.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein activating the receiver circuitry comprises checking a frame type of a next data frame received by the wireless communication device upon activating the receiver circuitry and, if the next data frame is a speech data frame, attenuating a signal level of the speech data frame.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising gradually increasing the signal level of subsequent speech data frames following the attenuated speech data frame.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising gradually decreasing a comfort level signal generated within the wireless communication device during subsequent speech data frames following the attenuated speech data frame.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating a comfort level signal within the wireless communication device while the receiver circuitry is in the low-power mode.

18. A wireless communication device operable in a communication network, comprising:

a transmitter to transmit data from the wireless device to the communication network;

a receiver to receive data from the communication network, the received data comprising a series of data frames;

a speech-processor configured to process the received data frames; and

a controller configured to analyze the received data frames and to detect a data frame indicating no voice activity, the controller configured to place the speech-processor into a low-power operational mode upon detection of the data frame indicating no voice activity and subsequently activating the speech-processing circuitry to check for a resumption of voice activity;

wherein the receiver is configured to check a frame type of a next data frame received by the receiver communication device upon activating the speech-processor and, if the next data frame is a speech data frame, attenuating a signal level of the speech data frame.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to place the receiver into a low-power operational mode upon detection of the data frame indicating no voice activity.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the speech-processor is further configured to gradually increase the signal level of subsequent speech data frames following the attenuated speech data frame.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the speech-processor is further configured to gradually decrease a comfort level signal generated within the wireless communication device during subsequent speech data frames following the attenuated speech data frame.