Dynamic baseband management

• US 9,980,230 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Singh, Ajoy K., Wolkowicki, Ziv, Prodanos, Dimitrios, Schobel, Andreas E., Saari, Christopher P., Rauenbuehler, Keith W., Rivera-Barreto, Rafael L., Abdulrahiman, Najeeb M., Grubb, Jared S., Chaudhary, Madhusudan, Krishnaswamy, Saran, Gutierrez Gomez, Jesus A., Pillalamarri, Sirisha, Miller, Samuel J., Malthankar, Rohan C., Sitnikov, Sergey
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US15/609,668
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

This disclosure relates to dynamic baseband management for a wireless device. The wireless device may be an accessory device. The accessory device may determine whether it has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion device. The accessory device may determine one or more proximity metrics relating to the companion device. The accessory device may further determine one or more metrics associated with user settings, user activity and/or application activity at the wireless device. The wireless device may select a (e.g., full, limited, or off) baseband operating mode based on any or all of these considerations.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processing elements, wherein the one or more processing elements are configured to cause an accessory wireless device to;

determine whether the accessory wireless device has a relay wireless link with a companion wireless device;

determine, if the accessory wireless device has a relay wireless link with a companion wireless device, a type of the relay wireless link; and

determine a baseband operating mode based at least in part on whether the accessory wireless device has a relay wireless link with the companion wireless device and further based at least in part on the type of the relay wireless link, wherein said determining a baseband operating mode comprises, if the accessory wireless device has a relay wireless link with a companion wireless device and an application at the accessory wireless device is requesting location information for the accessory wireless device, selecting a limited baseband operating mode, wherein in the limited baseband operating mode the accessory wireless device determines the location of the accessory wireless device and does not perform cellular transmissions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the type of the relay wireless link comprises one of a Bluetooth link or a Wi-Fi link.

3. The apparatus of claim 2,

wherein if the accessory wireless device has a Bluetooth relay link with a companion wireless device, in order to determine the baseband operating mode, the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

select a powered off baseband operating mode if no application at the accessory wireless device is requesting location information for the accessory wireless device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

receive user input initiating an emergency call;

attempt to connect the emergency call using the Bluetooth relay link;

select a full baseband operating mode based at least in part on receiving the user input initiating the emergency call; and

automatically attempt to connect the emergency call using a cellular communication link if the attempt to connect the emergency call using the Bluetooth relay link is unsuccessful.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

receive user input initiating a voice call;

attempt to connect the voice call using the Bluetooth relay link;

determine that the attempt to connect the voice call using the Bluetooth relay link is unsuccessful;

select a full baseband operating mode based at least in part on determining that the attempt to connect the voice call using the Bluetooth relay link is unsuccessful; and

automatically attempt to connect the voice call using a cellular communication link based at least in part on determining that the attempt to connect the voice call using the Bluetooth relay link is unsuccessful.

6. The apparatus of claim 2,

wherein if the accessory wireless device does not have a Bluetooth relay link with a companion wireless device and does have a Wi-Fi link, in order to determine a baseband operating mode, the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

select the baseband operating mode from at least;

a baseband operating mode including cellular voice communication capability;

a baseband operating mode in which the accessory wireless device does not perform cellular transmissions;

or

a powered off baseband operating mode;

wherein the baseband operating mode is selected based at least in part on one or more of;

whether an application at the accessory wireless device is requesting location information for the accessory wireless device,

a length of time for which the accessory wireless device has not had a Bluetooth relay link with a companion wireless device;

a length of time for which the accessory wireless device has had the Wi-Fi link;

signal strength and/or signal quality of the Wi-Fi link;

or

one or more user settings associated with Wi-Fi voice calling permission.

7. The apparatus of claim 2,

wherein if the accessory wireless device does not have a relay link and does not have a Wi-Fi link, to determine a baseband operating mode, the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

select the baseband operating mode from at least;

a baseband operating mode including cellular voice and data communication capability;

a baseband operating mode in which the accessory wireless device does not perform cellular transmissions;

or

a powered off baseband operating mode;

wherein the baseband operating mode is selected based at least in part on one or more of;

whether an application at the accessory wireless device is requesting location information for the accessory wireless device,

a length of time for which the accessory wireless device has not had a relay link or a Wi-Fi link;

or

one or more user settings associated with cellular communication permission.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to determine the baseband operating mode, the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

select a baseband operating mode having a minimum functionality level that supports any user-initiated activities at the accessory wireless device that are not also supported by a relay wireless link with a companion wireless device or an alternate communication link.

9. A method, comprising:

at an accessory device;

determining whether the accessory device has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion device;

determining, if the accessory device does not have a short-range wireless communication link with a companion device, a length of time for which the accessory device has not had a short-range communication link with a companion device; and

determining a baseband operating mode based at least in part on whether the accessory device has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion device and, if the accessory device does not have a short-range communication link with a companion device, further based at least in part on the length of time for which the accessory device has not had a short-range communication link with a companion device, wherein said determining a baseband operating mode comprises, if the accessory device has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion device and an application at the accessory device is requesting location information for the accessory device, selecting a limited baseband operating mode, wherein in the limited baseband operating mode the accessory device determines the location of the accessory device and does not perform cellular transmissions.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein, if the accessory device has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion device, the baseband operating mode is further determined based at least in part on a type of the short-range wireless communication link.

11. The method of claim 9,

wherein the baseband operating mode is further determined based at least in part on one or more metrics associated with user settings, user activity and/or application activity at the accessory device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the baseband operating mode further comprises:

determining to limit baseband functionality of the accessory device if the accessory device has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the baseband operating mode further comprises:

determining to limit baseband functionality of the accessory device if a length of time for which the accessory device has not had a first type of short-range communication link with a companion device is less than a first threshold or if a length of time for which the accessory device has not had a second type of short-range communication link with a companion device is less than a second threshold.

14. An accessory wireless device, comprising:

wireless communication circuitry, comprising at least cellular communication circuitry, global navigational satellite system (GNSS) circuitry, and short-range wireless communication circuitry; and

one or more processing elements coupled to the wireless communication circuitry, wherein the one or more processing elements are configured to cause the accessory wireless device to;

determine whether the accessory wireless device has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion wireless device;

determine one or more metrics associated with user settings, user activity and/or application activity at the accessory wireless device, wherein the one or more metrics associated with user settings, user activity and/or application activity at the accessory wireless device comprise at least whether an application is currently requesting location information for the accessory wireless device;

determine whether to limit functionality of the cellular communication circuitry based at least in part on whether the accessory wireless device has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion wireless device and further based at least in part on the one or more metrics associated with user settings, user activity or application activity at the accessory wireless device; and

determine whether to use the GNSS circuitry of the accessory wireless device to obtain the location information or to obtain the location information from the companion wireless device via a short-range wireless communication link when an application is currently requesting location information for the accessory wireless device.

15. The accessory wireless device of claim 14,

wherein, if the accessory wireless device has a short-range wireless communication link with a companion wireless device, the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

determine a type of the short-range wireless communication link; and

determine whether to limit functionality of the cellular communication circuitry further based at least in part on the type of the short-range wireless communication link.

16. The accessory wireless device of claim 14,

wherein if the accessory wireless device does not have a short-range wireless communication link with a companion wireless device, the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

determine a length of time for which the accessory wireless device has not had a short-range wireless communication link with a companion wireless device; and

determine whether to limit functionality of the cellular communication circuitry further based at least in part on the length of time for which the accessory wireless device has not had a short-range wireless communication link with a companion wireless device.

17. The accessory wireless device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

determine whether to limit functionality of the GNSS circuitry based at least in part on determining whether to use the GNSS circuitry of the accessory wireless device to obtain the location information or to obtain the location information from the companion wireless device via a short-range wireless communication link.

18. The accessory wireless device of claim 14,

wherein the one or more metrics associated with user settings, user activity and/or application activity at the accessory wireless device comprise at least whether any application executing at the accessory wireless device is currently actively performing wireless communication.

19. The accessory wireless device of claim 14,

wherein the one or more metrics associated with user settings, user activity and/or application activity at the accessory wireless device comprise one or more of:

a physical position of the accessory wireless device relative to a user of the accessory wireless device;

a screen state of the accessory wireless device;

or

one or more user settings relating to a preferred operating mode of the wireless communication circuitry.

20. The accessory wireless device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing elements are further configured to cause the accessory wireless device to:

determine whether the accessory wireless device has a subscriber identity module that provides a cellular service plan,

determine whether to limit functionality of the cellular communication circuitry further based at least in part on whether the accessory wireless device has a subscriber identity module that provides a cellular service plan.