Controlling a power state of a cellular packet data subsystem in a portable electronic device

• US 9,451,551 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mallikarjunan, Raghuveer, Mehta, Sarin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ko, Sithu
• Application Number:
  US13/742,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 370/253, 370/311, 455/63.1, 455/73, 455/414.1, 713/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system are described for use in a portable electronic device that includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) subsystem, a cellular packet data subsystem for communicating packet data, a cellular voice subsystem for communicating cellular voice information, and a processing subsystem. In the described embodiments, the WLAN subsystem establishes a connection to a WLAN and the WLAN subsystem then determines the signal strength of the connection to the WLAN. Then, on condition that the signal strength exceeds a threshold, the processing subsystem selects the WLAN subsystem for the communication of packet data to and from the portable electronic device, and puts the cellular packet data subsystem into a reduced power state that reduces the power consumption of the cellular packet data subsystem. Packet data is then communicated to and from the portable electronic device using the WLAN subsystem while the cellular data subsystem is in the reduced power state.

Claims

1. A method for use in a portable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device comprises:

a wireless local area network (WLAN) subsystem;

a cellular packet data subsystem for communicating packet data;

a cellular voice subsystem for communicating cellular voice information; and

a processing subsystem;

wherein the method comprises;

while communicating packet data using the cellular packet data subsystem,

establishing, with the WLAN subsystem, a connection to a WLAN;

determining, with the WLAN subsystem, a signal strength of the connection to the WLAN;

determining, with the processing subsystem, based at least in part on the signal strength of the connection to the WLAN exceeding a threshold, to switch from the cellular packet data subsystem to the WLAN subsystem for the communication of the packet data to and from the portable electronic device;

setting the cellular packet data subsystem into a reduced power state that reduces power consumption of the cellular packet data subsystem, wherein the setting the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state comprises reducing a search frequency for a cellular data signal; and

communicating, with the WLAN subsystem, the packet data to and from the portable electronic device while the cellular data subsystem is in the reduced power state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state comprises de-energizing one or more power amplifiers in a baseband radio in the cellular packet data subsystem.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state comprises reducing a frequency at which a cellular data signal is monitored.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state comprises controlling a resource manager in the cellular packet data subsystem using the processing subsystem to set the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to the cellular packet data subsystem being set in the reduced power state, a power state of the cellular voice subsystem is not changed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal strength of the connection to the WLAN exceeds the threshold for a predetermined period of time.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions related to a method executed by a portable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device includes:

a wireless local area network (WLAN) subsystem;

a cellular packet data subsystem for communicating packet data;

a cellular voice subsystem for communicating cellular voice information; and

a processing subsystem;

wherein the method comprises;

establishing, with the WLAN subsystem, a connection to a WLAN;

determining, with the WLAN subsystem, a signal strength of the connection to the WLAN;

in response to the signal strength exceeding a threshold;

selecting the WLAN subsystem for the communication of packet data to and from the portable electronic device; and

setting the cellular packet data subsystem into a reduced power state that reduces power consumption of the cellular packet data subsystem, wherein the setting the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state comprises reducing a search frequency for a cellular data signal; and

communicating, with the WLAN subsystem, the packet data to and from the portable electronic device while the cellular data subsystem is in the reduced power state.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the setting the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state comprises de-energizing one or more power amplifiers in a baseband radio in the cellular packet data subsystem.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the setting the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state comprises reducing a frequency at which a cellular data signal is monitored.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the setting the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state comprises controlling a resource manager in the cellular packet data subsystem using the processing subsystem to set the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein in response to the cellular packet data subsystem being set in the reduced power state, a power state of the cellular voice subsystem is not changed.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the signal strength of the connection to the WLAN exceeds the threshold for a predetermined period of time.

13. An apparatus that controls a power state of a cellular packet data subsystem in a portable electronic device, comprising:

a cellular voice subsystem;

a wireless local area network (WLAN) subsystem that establishes a connection to a WLAN; and

a processing subsystem configured to;

receive, from the WLAN subsystem, after establishing the connection to the WLAN, a signal strength of a connection to the WLAN;

in response to the signal strength exceeding a threshold, select the WLAN subsystem for the communication of the packet data to and from the portable electronic device;

set the cellular packet data subsystem into a reduced power state that reduces a power consumption of the cellular packet data subsystem, wherein the cellular packet data subsystem is configured to reduce a search frequency for a cellular data signal in the reduced power state; and

communicate the packet data to and from the portable electronic device using the WLAN subsystem while the cellular data subsystem is in the reduced power state.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the cellular packet data subsystem is configured to de-energize one or more power amplifiers in a radio in the cellular packet data subsystem when set in the reduced power state.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the cellular packet data subsystem is configured to reduce a frequency at which a cellular data signal is monitored when set in the reduced power state.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing subsystem is further configured to set the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state by controlling a resource manager in the cellular packet data subsystem.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the processing subsystem sets the cellular packet data subsystem into the reduced power state, and wherein the processing subsystem is configured to keep a power state of the cellular voice subsystem unchanged.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing subsystem is further configured to select the WLAN subsystem for the communication of the packet data to and from the portable electronic device in response to the signal strength exceeding the threshold for a predetermined period of time.