Signalling channel and radio system for power saving in wireless devices

• US 8,948,071 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wu, Shiquan, Tong, Wen, Royer, Claude, Sich, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh-Vu
• Application Number:
  US13/571,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20130051294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7103 the interference being multiple access interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/70714 Reducing hardware requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2618 Reduction thereof using auxiliary subcarriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2647 Arrangements specific to the receiver only equalisation H04L27/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0016 Time-frequency-code
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Wireless devices, transmitters, systems and methods are provided that have a narrow band signalling channel and a wide band channel, for example an OFDM channel. In order to save power, the wireless device is nominally powered down with the exception of a receiver specific to the narrow band signalling channel. Once instructed to do so over the narrow band signalling channel, the wireless device wakes up the rest of its wide band receive circuitry.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a narrow band signal at an edge of a CDMA bandwidth of a wide band CDMA signal, the narrow band signal comprising information configured to indicate whether or not to wake up a wide band receiver; and

transmitting the wide band CDMA signal and the narrow band signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises:

combining the wide band CDMA signal and the narrow band signal effective to create a combined signal; and

up-converting the combined signal effective to transmit the combined signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a center frequency associated with the narrow band signal is outside of a frequency band associated with the CDMA bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the narrow band signal further comprises modulating the information in the time domain.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth associated with the narrow band signal is based, at least in part, on an associated network capacity.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a paging signal configured to communicate with one or more devices that have wide band receivers that are awake.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the narrow band signal with beacon channel information.

8. One or more computer-readable storage memories comprising processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, enable a device to:

generate a narrow band signal at an edge of a CDMA bandwidth of a wide band CDMA signal, the narrow band signal comprising information configured to indicate whether or not to wake up a particular wide band receiver; and

transmit the wide band CDMA signal and the narrow band signal.

9. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 8, the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the device to:

combine the wide band CDMA signal and the narrow band signal effective to create a combined signal; and

up-convert the combined signal effective to transmit the combined signal.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 8, wherein a center frequency associated with the narrow band signal is outside of a frequency band associated with the CDMA bandwidth.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 8, wherein the processor-executable instructions are further configured to enable the device to generate the narrow band signal by modulating the information in the time domain.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 8, wherein a bandwidth associated with the narrow band signal is based, at least in part, on an associated network capacity.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 8, the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the device to:

transmit a paging signal configured to communicate with one or more devices that have wide band receivers that are awake.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 8, the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the device to:

generate the narrow band signal with beacon channel information.

15. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage memories comprising processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by the at least one processor, enable the apparatus to;

generate a narrow band signal at an edge of a CDMA bandwidth of a wide band CDMA signal, the narrow band signal comprising information configured to indicate whether or not to wake up a particular wide band receiver; and

transmit the wide band CDMA signal and the narrow band signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the apparatus to:

combine the wide band CDMA signal and the narrow band signal effective to create a combined signal; and

up-convert the combined signal effective to transmit the combined signal.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a center frequency associated with the narrow band signal is outside of a frequency band associated with the CDMA bandwidth.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor-executable instructions are further configured to enable the apparatus to generate the narrow band signal by modulating the information in the time domain.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a bandwidth associated with the narrow band signal is based, at least in part, on an associated network capacity.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the apparatus to:

transmit a paging signal configured to communicate with one or more devices that have wide band receivers that are awake.