User presence driven power saving in time division synchronous code division multiple access

• US 9,042,285 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chin, Tom, Shi, Guangming, Lee, Kuo-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Blanche
• Application Number:
  US13/538,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20140003311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• 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 user equipment (UE) may save power by reducing certain battery draining activities when a user is not close to or not using the UE. The UE may skip inter-radio access technology measurements to conserve battery life. The UE may also extend a paging periodicity when the battery power is low and/or when a sensor detects UE inactivity or a distant user.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

determining when a user is in close proximity to a user equipment (UE) or the user is operating the UE;

determining a remaining battery power of the UE when the user is not close to the UE or when the user is not operating the UE; and

reducing power consumption of the UE when the remaining battery power is lower than a first threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the reducing comprises skipping inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements.

3. The method of claim 1, in which reducing comprises increasing a paging monitoring periodicity.

4. The method of claim 3, in which paging monitoring occurs in a Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) network

5. The method of claim 3, in which reducing comprises increasing the paging monitoring periodicity when the remaining battery power is below a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value.

6. The method of claim 1, in which reducing comprises skipping paging decoding.

7. The method of claim 1, in which reducing comprises skipping paging decoding when the remaining battery power is below a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the determining and the reducing occur when the UE is in idle mode.

9. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for determining when a user is in close proximity to a user equipment (UE) or the user is operating the UE;

means for determining a remaining battery power of the UE when the user is not close to the UE or when the user is not operating the UE; and

means for reducing power consumption of the UE when the remaining battery power is lower than a first threshold value.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, in which the reducing means further comprises means for increasing a paging monitoring periodicity.

11. A computer program product for wireless communications in a wireless network, comprising:

a computer-readable medium having non-transitory program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising;

program code to determine when a user is in close proximity to a user equipment (UE) or the user is operating the UE;

program code to determine a remaining battery power of the UE when the user is not close to the UE or when the user is not operating the UE; and

program code to reduce power consumption of the UE when the remaining battery power is lower than a first threshold value.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, in which the program code further comprises program code to reduce by increasing a paging monitoring periodicity.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured;

to determine when a user is in close proximity to a user equipment (UE) or the user is operating the UE;

to determine a remaining battery power of the UE when the user is not close to the UE or when the user is not operating the UE; and

to reduce power consumption of the UE when the remaining battery power is lower than a first threshold value.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the at least one processor is further configured to reduce by skipping inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the at least one processor is further configured to reduce by increasing a paging monitoring periodicity.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one processor is further configured to monitor paging in a Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) network.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one processor is further configured to reduce by increasing the paging monitoring periodicity when the remaining battery power is below a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the at least one processor is further configured to reduce by skipping paging decoding.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the at least one processor is further configured to reduce by skipping paging decoding when the remaining battery power is below a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the at least one processor is further configured to determine and reduce when the UE is in idle mode.