Method, apparatus and computer program

• US 9,497,701 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Jelonnek, Bjoern, Haubrich, Andree, Weber, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US14/753,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20160073337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/91, 455/114.3, 455/127.1, 455/127.5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0408 with power amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method including determining whether a transmitter of an apparatus has information to transmit; and causing a power amplifier of said apparatus to enter a first power state in response to said determining; wherein said determining is carried out within a radio portion of said apparatus.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting whether a transmitter of an apparatus has information to transmit, wherein detection whether the transmitter of the apparatus has information to transmit comprises detecting whether a level of transmission signals exceeds a specified threshold;

in response to detection that the data in the level of transmissions has changed between exceeding and not exceeding the specified threshold, determining to change a power state of a power amplifier of said apparatus between a high power and a low power state, wherein detection of the change between exceeding and not exceeding the specified threshold and determining to change the power state are performed in a time less than or equal to the time taken to perform processing of data for transmission;

in response to a determination to change the power state of the power amplifier, causing the power amplifier to change the power state; and

wherein said detection is carried out within a radio portion of said apparatus.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said detection of the change between exceeding and not exceeding the specified threshold comprises detection of a change from exceeding to not exceeding the specified threshold and wherein determining to change the power state of the power amplifier comprises causing the power amplifier to enter a low power state.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1, detection of the change between exceeding and not exceeding the specified threshold comprises detection of a change from not exceeding to exceeding the specified threshold and wherein determining to change the power state of the power amplifier comprises causing the power amplifier to enter a high power state.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the method comprises operating a counter to monitor a time period of said detecting whether the transmitter has no information to transmit, and resetting said counter when it is detected that there is information to transmit.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a system portion, and wherein said detecting whether the transmitter has information to transmit and causing a power amplifier of said apparatus to change the power state in response to said detecting are carried out independently of said system portion.

12. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said determining whether the transmitter has information to transmit comprises detecting a transmit power of the transmitter.

13. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the method comprises operating a counter to monitor a time period of said detecting whether the transmitter has information to transmit.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13, comprising resetting said counter when it is determined that there is information to transmit.

15. A method as set forth in claim 1, comprising configuring a delay between said detecting whether the transmitter has information to transmit and said causing the power amplifier change the power state.

16. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a digital pre-distortion unit of said apparatus receives delayed bias switching information regarding the state of the power amplifier, to optimize operation of the power amplifier.

17. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said apparatus is comprised in one of:

a base station;

a network node;

a user equipment.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program of instructions, execution of which by at least one processor configures an apparatus to perform at least the following:

detecting whether a transmitter of an apparatus has information to transmit, wherein detection whether the transmitter of the apparatus has information to transmit comprises detecting whether a level of transmission signals exceeds a specified threshold;

in response to detection that the data in the level of transmissions has changed between exceeding and not exceeding the specified threshold, determining to change a power state of a power amplifier of said apparatus between a high power and a low power state, wherein detection of the change between exceeding and not exceeding the specified threshold and determining to change the power state are performed in a time less than or equal to the time taken to perform processing of data for transmission;

in response to a determination to change the power state of the power amplifier, causing the power amplifier to change the power state; and

wherein said determining is carried out within a radio portion of said apparatus.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein execution of the program of instructions further configures the apparatus to configure a delay between said detecting whether the transmitter has information to transmit and said causing the power amplifier change the power state.

7. An apparatus comprising

at least one processor;

and at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

determine whether a transmitter of said apparatus has information to transmit, wherein detection whether the transmitter of the apparatus has information to transmit comprises detecting whether a level of transmission signals exceeds a specified threshold;

in response to detection that the data in the level of transmissions has changed between exceeding and not exceeding the specified threshold, determining to change a power state of a power amplifier of said apparatus between a high power and a low power state, wherein detection of the change between exceeding and not exceeding the specified threshold and determining to change the power state are performed in a time less than or equal to the time taken to perform processing of data for transmission;

in response to a determination to change the power state of the power amplifier, causing the power amplifier to change the power state; and

wherein said detection is carried out within a radio portion of said apparatus.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said detecting whether the transmitter has information to transmit comprises determining that said transmitter has no information to transmit.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to cause said power amplifier to enter a low power state.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the apparatus comprises a counter, and the apparatus is configured to operate the counter to monitor a time period of said detecting whether the transmitter has information to transmit.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the apparatus further comprises a system portion.

19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the apparatus is further caused to configure a delay between said detecting whether the transmitter has information to transmit and said causing the power amplifier change the power state.