Mobile communication end device with low power operation mode

• US 5,623,533 A
• Filed: 03/26/1996
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Takafumi, Hotta, Masao, Murakami, Yasuyuki, Otsuka, Masanori, Seki, Koichi, Hatano, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TROST IV, WILLIAM GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US08/621,896
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/61, 341/156, 341/163, 395/750, 455/33.1, 455/54.1, 455/38.3, 455/127, 455/343, 455/89, 455/90
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/029 reducing the clock frequency of the controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a mobile wireless communication end device having an electric power source including a cell, and a signal processing part and a transmitting-receiving part, to which electric power is applied from the electric power source, operation is performed in operation mode selected previously by the user when voltage of the electric power source is dropped. The signal processing part and the transmitting-receiving part have a normal operation mode operating at normal electric power and a low power operation mode operating at electric power lower than the normal operation mode. The mobile wireless communication end device includes operation mode setting apparatus for previously setting the operation mode of the device, observing apparatus for observing the voltage of the cell of the electric power source and generating a low power operation request signal when the voltage becomes a prescribed value or less, and apparatus for changing the signal processing part and the transmitting-receiving part to low power operation mode, when the low power operation mode is set by the operation mode setting means and the low power operation request signal is generated by the observing apparatus.

Claims

1. A mobile communication end device having an electric power source including a cell, and a signal processing part and a transmitting-receiving part, to which electric power is applied from said electric power source, wherein said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part have a normal operation mode operating at normal electric power and a low power operation mode operating at electric power lower than the normal operation mode, said mobile communication end device comprising:

operation mode setting means for setting in response to an input signal an operation mode of said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part of said mobile communication end device to said normal operation mode or said low power operation mode;

said operation mode setting means includes means for reducing the number of bits of a signal processed by said signal processing part, thereby reducing resolution of said signal, when said low power operation mode has been set by said operation mode setting means and when operating said signal processing port and said transmitting-receiving part of said mobile communication end device in said low power operation mode;

said electric power source having observing means for observing the voltage of said cell and for generating a low power operation request signal when said voltage becomes a prescribed value or less; and

means for changing said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part into said low power operation mode, when the low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when the low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

2. A mobile communication end device according to claim 1 wherein said signal processing part has a successive analog/digital ((A/D)) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a digital value, and said successive A/D converter has means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping a coding operation of lower bits, when the low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when the low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

3. A mobile communication end device according to claim 1 wherein said signal processing part has a successive analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said successive A/D converter has means for lowering the speed of A/D conversion of each conversion cycle without varying the coding period of one example, when the low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when the low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

4. A mobile communication end device according to claim 1 wherein said signal processing part has a pipeline analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting a analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said pipeline A/D converter has means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping a coding operation of lower bits, when the low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when the low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

5. A mobile communication end device according to claim 1 wherein said signal processing part has a parallel comparison analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said parallel comparison A/D converter has a plurality of comparators with the number equal to the quantization level number for comparing a quantization level voltage with the analog voltage signal, a voltage generating circuit for generating the quantization level voltage, an encoder for converting outputs of the plurality of comparators into the coded digital value, and means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping operation of a specified comparator among neighboring voltage comparators grouped in each set of a power of 2 piece of the plurality of comparators, when the low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when the low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

6. A mobile communication end device having an electric power source including a cell, a signal processing part and a transmitting-receiving part, to which electric power is applied from said electric power source, and an I/O and display device of said signal processing part, wherein said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part have a normal operation mode at normal electric power and a low power operation mode operating at electric power lower than the normal operation mode, said mobile communication end device comprising:

operation mode setting means for setting, in response to an input signal, an operation mode of at least one of said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part;

said operation mode setting means includes means for reducing the number of bits of a signal processed by said signal processing part, thereby reducing resolution of said signal, when said low power operation mode of said signal processing part has been set by said operation mode setting means and when operating said signal processing part in said low power operation mode;

observing means for observing the voltage of said cell and for generating a low power operation request signal when the voltage becomes a prescribed value or less; and

means for outputting an indication of the changing of the operation mode to said I/O and display device, and for changing the operation mode of at least one of said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part to a low power operation mode, when low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means, and when the voltage of the electric power source becomes a prescribed value or less.

7. A mobile communication end device according to claim 6:

in which said signal processing part has a successive analog/digital (A/D), converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said successive A/D converter has means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping coding operation of lower bits, when the low power operation mode of said signal processing part is set by said operation mode setting means and when said voltage of said electric power source becomes a prescribed value or less.

8. A mobile communication end device according to claim 6 wherein said signal processing part has a pipeline analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said pipeline A/D converter has means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping a coding operation of lower bits, when the low power operation mode of said signal processing part is set by said operation mode setting means and when said voltage of said electric power source becomes a prescribed value or less.

9. A mobile communication end device according to claim 6 wherein said signal processing part has a parallel comparison analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said parallel comparison A/D converter has a plurality of comparators with the number equal to the quantization level number for comparing a quantization level voltage with the analog voltage signal, a voltage generating circuit for generating the quantization level voltage, an encoder for converting outputs of the plurality of comparators into the coded digital value, and means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping operation of a specified comparator among neighboring voltage comparators grouped in each set of a power of 2 pieces of the plurality of comparators, when the low power operation mode is set by said operation mode of said signal processing part setting means and when said voltage of said power source becomes a prescribed value or less.

10. A mobile communication end device having an electric power source including a cell, a signal processing part and a transmitting-receiving part, to which electric power is applied from said electric power source, and an I/O and display device of said signal processing part, wherein said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part have a normal operation mode operating at normal electric power and a low power operation mode operating at electric power lower than the normal operation mode, said mobile communication end device comprising:

means for stopping reception operation in a waiting condition and performing only a transmission operation during said low power operation mode;

operation mode setting means for setting, in response to an input signal, an operation mode of said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part to said normal or said low power operation modes;

said operation mode setting means includes means for reducing the number of bits of a signal processed by said signal processing part, thereby reducing resolution of said signal, when said low power operation mode has been set by said operation mode setting means and when operating said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part of said mobile communication end device in said low power operation mode;

observing means for observing voltage of said cell and for generating a low power operation request signal when said voltage becomes a prescribed value or less;

changing means for changing said signal processing part and said transmitting-receiving part into said low power operation mode, when said voltage of said cell is a prescribed value or less and when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means.

11. A mobile communication end device according to claim 10 wherein said signal processing part has a successive analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said successive A/D converter has means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping a coding operation of lower bits, when said voltage of said cell is a prescribed value or less and when low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means.

12. A mobile communication end device according to claim 10, wherein said signal processing part has a pipeline analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said pipeline A/D converter has means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping a coding operation of lower bits, when said voltage of said cell is a prescribed value or less and when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means.

13. A mobile communication end device according to claim 10, wherein said signal processing part has a parallel comparison analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog signal into a coded digital value, and said parallel comparison A/D converter has a plurality of comparators with the number equal to the quantization level number for comparing a quantization level voltage with the analog voltage signal, a voltage generating circuit for generating the quantization level voltage, an encoder for converting outputs of the plurality of comparators into the coded digital value, and means, responsive to said means for reducing, for stopping operation of a specified comparator among neighboring voltage comparators grouped in each set of a power of 2 pieces of the plurality of comparators, when said voltage of said cell is a prescribed value or less and when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means.

14. A mobile communication end device according to claim 10, wherein said signal processing part has a successive analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said successive A/D converter has means for lowering the speed of A/D conversion of each conversion cycle without varying the coding period of one sample, when said voltage of said cell is a prescribed value or less and when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means.

15. A mobile communication end device having an electric power source including a cell, a signal processing part and transmitting-receiving part to which electric power is applied from said electric power source, and an I/O and display device of said signal processing part, said mobile communication end device comprising:

operation mode setting means for setting in response to an input signal, an operation mode of said mobile communication end device to a normal operation mode operating at normal electric power or a low power operation mode operating at electric power lower than the normal operation mode and reducing the number of bits of a signal processed by said signal processing part, thereby reducing resolution of said signal, when said low power operation mode has been set by said operation mode setting means and when operating said mobile communication end device in said low power operation mode;

said electric power source having observing means for observing the voltage of said cell and for generating a low power operation request signal when the voltage becomes a prescribed value or less; and

control means for reducing the resolution of said signal processing part and stopping a reception operation of said transmitting-receiving part in a waiting condition, when the low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when the low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

16. A mobile communication end device according to claim 15, wherein said signal processing part has a successive analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said successive A/D converter has means, responsive to the reducing of the number of bits of said signal processed by said signal processing part, for stopping a coding operation of lower bits, when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when said low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

17. A mobile communication end device according to claim 15, wherein said signal processing part has a successive analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into coded digital value, and said successive A/D converter has means for lowering speed of A/D conversion of each conversion cycle without varying a coding period of one example, when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when said ow power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

18. A mobile communication end device according to claim 15, wherein said signal processing part has a pipeline analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said pipeline A/D converter has means, responsive to the reducing of the number of bits of said signal processed by said signal processing part, for stopping a coding operation of lower bits, when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when said low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

19. A mobile communication end device according to claim 15, wherein said signal processing part has a parallel comparison analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into coded digital value, and said parallel comparison A/D converter has a plurality of voltage comparators and means, responsive to the reducing of the number of bits of said signal processed by said signal processing part, for stopping operation of a specified comparator among neighboring voltage comparators grouped in each set of a power of 2 pieces of the plurality of comparators, when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when said low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.

20. A mobile communication end device according to claim 15, wherein said signal processing part has a parallel comparison analog/digital (A/D) converter for converting an analog voltage signal into a coded digital value, and said parallel comparison A/D converter has a plurality of comparators with the number equal to the quantization level number for comparing a quantization level voltage with the analog voltage signal, a voltage generating circuit for generating the quantization level voltage, an encoder for converting outputs of the plurality of comparators into the coded digital value, and means, responsive to the reducing of the number of bits of said signal, processed by said signal processing part, for stopping operation of a specified comparator among neighboring voltage comparators grouped in each set of a power of 2 pieces of the plurality of comparators, when said low power operation mode is set by said operation mode setting means and when said low power operation request signal is generated by said observing means.