System and method of determining standby time for mobile stations

• US 8,055,314 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Jin, Xin, Mallalieu, Jennifer Anne Elizabeth, Shearer, Fiona
• Primary Examiner(s): PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Munjal
• Application Number:
  US12/949,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20110065485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 455572-575, 4553431-3435, 455/127.1, 455/127.5, 455/522, 713/200, 370/311, 370/318
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system for determining standby time for a mobile station uses a battery simulator, a base station emulator, a computer to control the test equipment and MSUT for testing a mobile station. The computer includes a module for determining a radio off battery voltage, a module for deriving a battery capacity in dependence upon the radio off battery voltage, a module for measuring battery capacity usage in a predetermined time while the mobile station is in standby mode and a module for determining a standby time for the mobile station in dependence upon the battery capacity and the battery capacity usage, where the predetermined time is less than the standby time.

Claims

1. A method of determining standby time for a mobile station, the method comprising:

generating a simulated battery voltage, by a battery simulator, for the mobile station;

programming the battery simulator with an equivalent series resistance (ESR) equal to the ESR of a battery, wherein the ESR is used in generating the simulated battery voltage;

measuring current consumption of the mobile station in standby mode using the simulated battery voltage;

determining an available battery capacity of the battery for the mobile station; and

determining a standby time for the mobile station based on the current consumption and the available battery capacity, wherein the measuring of the current consumption is performed for a time period less than the standby time of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the current consumption measured is an average value determined over the time period.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the time period is one hour.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the measuring includes measuring current activities as the mobile station periodically activates its receiver to monitor for a communication signal.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a radio off battery voltage for the mobile station based on the simulated battery voltage.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the radio off battery voltage for the mobile station is determined by stepping down the simulated battery voltage until the radio of the mobile station turns off.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

fully-charging the battery; and

determining the fully-charged voltage of the battery after being fully charged, and wherein the available battery capacity is determined based on a difference between the fully-charged voltage and the radio off battery voltage.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the determining the radio off battery voltage comprises:

adjusting the simulated battery voltage supplied to the mobile station;

determining a voltage level at which the mobile station radio turns off as the radio off battery voltage; and

recording the radio off battery voltage.

9. A system configured to determine standby time for a mobile station, the system comprising:

a battery simulator configured for connection to the mobile station, the battery simulator configured to generate a variable simulated battery voltage to power the mobile station;

wherein the battery simulator is programmed to have an equivalent series resistance (ESR) equal to the ESR of the battery and wherein the ESR is used by the battery simulator to generate the simulated battery voltage; and

a computer configured to measure current consumption of the mobile station in standby mode for a time period less than the standby time of the mobile station, determine an available battery capacity of a battery for the mobile station, and determine a standby time for the mobile station based on the current consumption and the available battery capacity.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

a base station emulator configured to communicate with the mobile station to cause the mobile station to enter the standby mode.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer is configured to measure the current consumption as an average value determined over the time period.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the time period is one hour.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer is configured to measure current activities as the mobile station periodically activates its receiver to monitor for a communication signal produced by the base station emulator.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the battery simulator, computer and base station emulator are configured to determine a radio off battery voltage by stepping down the variable simulated battery voltage for the mobile station until the base station emulator determines the radio of the mobile station is off, wherein the computer is configured to use the radio off battery voltage to calculate the available battery capacity of the battery.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein a charger of the mobile device is configured to fully charge the battery of the mobile device, further comprising:

a voltmeter configured for connection to the mobile device to determine the fully-charged voltage of the battery, wherein the computer is configured to determine the available battery capacity based on a difference between the fully-charged voltage and the radio off battery voltage.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the battery simulator, computer and base station emulator are configured to determine a radio off battery voltage by adjusting the simulated battery voltage supplied to the mobile station, determining a voltage level at which the mobile station radio turns off as the radio off battery voltage, and recording the radio off battery voltage, wherein the computer configured to use the radio off battery voltage to calculate the available battery capacity of the battery.

17. A computer-readable memory configured with code to determine standby time for a mobile station, the code executable by a computer to cause the computer to:

generate a variable simulated battery voltage to power the mobile station, measure current consumption of the mobile station in standby mode using the simulated battery voltage for a time period less than a standby time of the mobile station;

determine an available battery capacity of a battery for the mobile station; and

determine a standby time for the mobile station based on the current consumption and the available battery capacity.

18. The computer-readable memory as claimed in claim 17 wherein the computer-readable medium is further configured with code that causes the computer to communicate with the mobile station to cause the mobile station to enter the standby mode.

19. The computer-readable memory of claim 17 wherein the computer-readable memory is configured with code to cause the computer to measure the current consumption as an average value determined over the time period.

20. The computer-readable memory of claim 17 wherein the time period is one hour.

21. The computer-readable memory of claim 17 wherein the computer-readable memory is configured with code to cause the computer to measure current activities as the mobile station periodically activates its receiver to monitor for a communication signal produced by the base station emulator.

22. The computer-readable memory of claim 17 wherein the computer-readable memory is configured with code to cause the computer to determine the radio off battery voltage by stepping down the variable simulated battery voltage for the mobile station until the base station emulator determines the radio of the mobile station is off.

23. The computer-readable memory of claim 17 wherein the computer-readable memory is configured with code to cause the computer to fully-charge the battery, determine the fully-charged voltage of the battery after being fully charged, and determine the available battery capacity based on a difference between the fully-charged voltage and the radio off battery voltage.