Method and apparatus for power and handover management in a multiple wireless technology communication device

• US 8,761,829 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Medepalli, Kameswara
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US12/900,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20110086638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/422.1, 4554351-443, 455/522, 455/526, 370/311, 370331-334
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/226 using past references to control power, e.g. look-up-table
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/262 taking into account adaptive modulation and coding [AMC] scheme AMC per se H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/40 during macro-diversity or soft handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Method and apparatuses for power and handoff management in a multiple wireless technology communication device are disclosed. One method includes a wireless device communicating using a first technology, and detecting availability of a second technology. Logic control of the wireless device receives a power level indicator of communication signals of the first technology, and determining an acceptable power level of communication signals of the second technology based on the power level indicator. The logic control determines a requested power level of communication signals of the second technology based on a request from a base station. The logic control provides a modified link quality representation to the base station if the requested power level is greater than the acceptable power level. The wireless device transmits to the base station with the second technology at the acceptable power level.

Claims

1. A method of wireless technology handoff, comprising:

communicating, by a wireless device, with a first base station associated with a first technology through a first wireless link at a first transmission power;

detecting, by the wireless device, an availability of a second base station associated with a second technology;

selecting, by the wireless device, a second transmission power to be used to communicate with the second base station through a second wireless link based upon the first transmission power;

monitoring, by the wireless device, a quality of the second wireless link;

de-activating, by the wireless device, communication with the first base station and initiating communication with the second base station when the quality of the second wireless link is above a predetermined threshold; and

communicating, by the wireless device, with the second base station at the second transmission power through the second wireless link once communication has been initiated with the second base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting comprises:

referencing a look-up-table (LUT) to determine the second transmission power based on the first transmission power.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining, by the LUT, the second transmission power so that a power consumption of the wireless device is below a second predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting comprises:

adaptively calculating the second transmission power based on the first transmission power.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, by the second base station, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) based on the second transmission power.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, by the second base station, a sub-channel allocation based on the second transmission power.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the wireless device, whether to communicate with the second base station based on the second transmission power.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether to communicate with the second base station based on the quality of the second wireless link.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein de-activating comprises:

ceasing, by the wireless device, the communication with the first base station once communication has been initiated with the second base station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting comprises:

detecting the availability of the second base station with an autonomous low power scanning mode without intervention from a host controller or a first technology modem.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting comprises:

detecting the availability of the second base station when a host controller and a first technology modem are in a low power state.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting comprises:

detecting the availability of the second base station when a host controller or a first technology modem triggers detection based on a location of the wireless device or a location identifier associated with the first technology.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

masking, by the wireless device, an underlying network change by exposing a single virtual network interface to an application layer thereby enabling an application session of the wireless device to not be interrupted during an inter-technology handover.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting comprises:

monitoring the first transmission power of a first set of communication signals associated with the first technology;

determining the second transmission power of a second set of communication signals associated with the second technology based on the first transmission power;

determining a requested transmission power level of the second set of communication signals on a request from the second base station;

providing a modified link quality representation to the second base station when the requested transmission power level is greater than the second transmission power.

14. A wireless device, comprising:

means for wirelessly communicating with a first base station using a first wireless technology;

means for wirelessly communicating with a second base station using a second wireless technology;

means for detecting an availability of the second wireless technology;

means for monitoring a transmission power level indicator of a first communication signal associated with the first wireless technology;

means for determining an acceptable transmission power level of a second communication signal associated with the second wireless technology based on the transmission power level indicator;

means for determining a requested transmission power level of the second communication signal based on a request from a base station;

means for providing a modified link quality representation to the second base station when the requested transmission power level is greater than the acceptable transmission power level; and

means for transmitting the second communication signal to the second base station at the acceptable transmission power level.

15. A wireless device, comprising:

a first modem configured to wirelessly communicate with a first base station using a first wireless technology at a first transmission power through a first wireless link;

a second modem configured to wirelessly communicate with a second base station using a second wireless technology at a second transmission power through a second wireless link;

a link quality sensor configured to monitor a quality of the second wireless link; and

a controller configured to;

select the second transmission power based upon the first transmission power;

de-activate communication with the first base station; and

to initiate communication with the second base station when the quality of the second wireless link is above a predetermined threshold.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether to communicate using the second base station based on the second transmission power and the quality of the second wireless link.

17. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to cease the communication with the first base station once communication has been initiated with the second base station.

19. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to:

monitor the first transmission power of a first set of communication signals associated with the first wireless technology;

determine the second transmission power of a second set of communication signals associated with the second wireless technology based on the first transmission power;

determine a requested transmission power level of the second set of communication signals based on a request from the second base station; and

provide a modified link quality representation to the second base station when the requested transmission power level is greater than the second transmission power.