Patent Application
20080192666
The present invention relates to wireless communication systems and, more particularly, to extending battery power of a mobile device in a wireless communication system.
In today's managed radio network systems, which utilize two way radios and/or other mobile radios devices, the longevity of a radio is limited by it's battery power. That is, under normal daily usage, without recharging, the radio will eventually lose battery power which renders the radio unusable. It is a generally accepted practice to recharge the mobile device or replace the battery when the power runs low. However, in certain situations, a user may be in a critical or emergency situation. The user may need the device to immediately place a phone call or send data. In such circumstances the user cannot afford the time to recharge the battery, or perhaps even change out the battery for a new battery. Moreover, the user may not be aware that the mobile device is low in power until the call is made. As an example, in public safety service, a user may need to immediately place an emergency dispatch call. The ability to acquire and maintain continuous communication (without drops due to battery limitations) can be critical in the public safety environment. Likewise in the public sector, the consequences of acquiring and maintaining continuous communications can be critical to a user needing to make_an important call. In certain situations, a user can borrow another user's radio to make a call. However, this is a cumbersome task that is infringing to the other users. The only current options available to the user are to recharge the battery, replace the battery, or place a call using another mobile device. A need therefore exists for extending battery life to alleviate these situations.
One embodiment is a system for utilizing peers to extend a battery life of a mobile device. The system can include a wireless infrastructure that provides communication coverage to mobile devices over a wide area, at least one mobile device within the wireless infrastructure that switches from a high-power transceiver for communicating in the wireless infrastructure to a low-power transceiver for communicating with a peer when a power-level of a battery of the at least one mobile device falls below a predetermined threshold, and a peer network communicatively coupled to the mobile device having at least one peer for providing proxy services to the mobile device when the power-level falls below the predetermined threshold. The peer can provide transmit or receive communication with the at least one mobile device to extend a battery life of the mobile device. The infrastructure can identify a location of the peers using a location technology such as global positioning system (GPS) and report the location of the peers to the mobile device to identify peers available for serving as a proxy using low-power communication. Peers within the peer network can communicate amongst one another and the mobile device using low-power and low-range communication such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, Ultra-Wide Band (UWB), a IEEE 802.11 or 802.16x communication, or other wireless means.
Another embodiment is a mobile device having extended battery life capabilities. The mobile device can include a battery that provides power to the mobile device for transmitting and receiving communication signals, a monitor operatively coupled to the battery that monitors a power level of the battery, a first transceiver operatively coupled to the battery that provides long-range communication, a second transceiver operatively coupled to the battery that provides short-range communication, and a processor operatively coupled to the monitor, the first transceiver, and the second transceiver. The processor can evaluate the power level and switch to the second transceiver to transmit communications to a peer device within short range communication if the power level is below a predetermined threshold. In one arrangement, the first transceiver can be a Wide Area Network (WAN) transceiver using high power consumption over a wide-area providing coverage within at least one 1 kilometer. The second transceiver can be a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) transceiver or Personal Area Network (PAN) transceiver using low power consumption over a short-area providing communication coverage within at least 100 meters. The mobile device can include a location unit to identify a location of the mobile device. In such regard, the mobile device can identify the locations of peers that are within short range communication for extending a battery life of the mobile device.
Yet another embodiment is a method for utilizing peer networks to extend battery life of a mobile device. The method can include monitoring a power-level of the mobile device, determining if the power-level is below a pre-determined threshold, identifying peers to serve as transmit proxies in view of the power-level, and switching from a high-power transceiver to a low-power transceiver to reduce power consumption. The mobile device can communicate with the peers using the low-power transceiver to transmit communication data. The method can further include identifying peers to serve as receive proxies, and receiving communication data from the peers. In one aspect, available power levels of the peers to act as transmit proxies can be determined, and the peers can be ranked and selected by available power levels, security levels, permissions, and routing paths.
In one aspect, the method can include predicting a remaining power and usage rate from the power-level, and triggering a battery extension mode based on the remaining power and usage rate. Once in battery extension mode, the mobile device can alert the first transceiver of the low-battery indication, and request prioritization to identify and utilize nearby peers to transmit and receive payload by proxy. The step of identifying peers can further include determining a location of a peer with respect to a location of the mobile device, and determining whether the location of the peer is within a wireless communication range of the second transceiver. The mobile device can establish short range communication with peers that are within low-power wireless communication range. A visual or auditory cue can also be provided to indicate that a peer is providing proxy services to the mobile device. The mobile device can prioritize the peers based on peer battery levels, peer resource use, wide area network request, wide area network rerouting, or peer security. Peers can also be dynamically selected based on permissions of peers to serve as proxies for the mobile device.
The features of the system, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The embodiments herein, can be understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the embodiments of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the method, system, and other embodiments will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present method and system are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments of the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the embodiment herein.
The terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The term “processing” can be defined as number of suitable processors, controllers, units, or the like that carry out a pre-programmed or programmed set of instructions. The terms “program,” “software application,” and the like as used herein, are defined as a sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer system.
The term “proxy” can be defined as a device or system that provides services, such as transmit and receive operations, to another device. The term “peer” can be defined as a mobile device that is within a local area of another mobile device. The term “location” can be defined as a physical location of a mobile device. The term “power-level” can be defined as the amount of energy per unit time in a battery. The term “high-power transmit” can be defined as current drain approximating 1500 mA. The term “high-power receive” can be defined as current drain approximating 250 mA. The term “low-power transmit” can be defined as current drain approximating 30 mA. The term “low-power receive” can be defined as current drain also approximating 30 mA.
Briefly, embodiments of the invention are directed to a method to extend a mobile device's battery life by utilizing peers that are within a range of the mobile device as main network communication proxies. The mobile device can identify peers within a local area to proxy communications when a battery power of the mobile device is low. The communication between the mobile device and the peers uses low power communication, such as Bluetooth or Zigbee, which extends a battery life of the mobile device. The peers can send and/or receive communications data on behalf of the mobile device given that the peers have sufficient spare power to support the communication. In one arrangement, a location of the peers relative to the mobile device can be identified by location technologies such as global positioning system. The peers can be selected based on available power level, security level, permissions, or routing paths.
Referring to
In another arrangement, the base receivers 110, can connect the mobile devices 102 to the Internet 120 over a packet switched link. The WAN can include, for example, a core local area network (LAN), and a plurality of servers and gateway routers 107 to provide network nodes with access to other networks, such as other ad hoc networks, peer-to-peer networks, or the public switched telephone network (PSTN) for connecting to the Internet 120. The mobile communication system 100 can include a plurality of fixed routers 107 for routing data packets between other nodes 102, 104, 107, or other routers. It is noted that for purposes of this discussion, the nodes discussed above can be collectively referred to as “nodes 102, 104 and 107”, or simply “nodes”. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the nodes 102, 104 and 107 are capable of communicating with each other directly, or via one or more other nodes 102, 104 or 107 operating as a router or routers for packets being sent between nodes.
The mobile device 102a can also connect to the Internet 120 over the WLAN 150. Wireless Local Access Networks (WLANs) provide wireless access to the mobile communication system 100 within a local geographical area. As an example, the WLAN 150 can provide communication up to 100 meters using a typical IEEE 802.16 communication link. The WLAN can provide communication to greater ranges depending on the communication technology employed and is not limited to any particular range. The mobile communication system 100 can include the server 130 having at least one access point 104, for connecting the mobile devices 102a and 102b to the internet 120. The WLAN can complement loading on base receivers of a cellular system, so as to increase capacity. In general, WLANs are typically composed of a cluster of Access Points (APs) 104 also known as base stations. A mobile communication device 102 can communicate with other WLAN stations such as the laptop 102c within the base station area 150. In typical WLAN implementations, the physical layer uses a variety of technologies such as 802.11b or 802.11 g WLAN technologies. The physical layer may use infrared, frequency hopping spread spectrum in the 2.4 GHz Band, or direct sequence spread spectrum in the 2.4 GHz Band. The mobile device 102a can send and receive data to the server 130 or other remote servers on the mobile communication environment 100.
Referring to
Notably, the monitor 204 can determine when the power level of the battery 202 falls below a predetermined level. In response, the mobile device 102 can identify a peer within close proximity of the mobile device 102a based on location information provided by the location unit 212 of each peer. For example, the mobile device 102 can receive information regarding the location of peers from the base receiver 110 using the first transceiver 206 or directly from the peers using the second transceiver 208 from location information provided by the location unit 212. The processor 210 can then switch to the second transceiver 208 for low-power communication with a peer when the peer is within short range communication of the mobile device. The peer can proxy transmit and receive communications on behalf of the mobile device 102 to extend a battery life of the mobile device 102.
Briefly, the mobile device 102 uses the first transceiver 206 as the primary means for transmitting and receiving communication signals. The processor 210 can evaluate a power level of the battery during use of the first transceiver 206 and switch to the second transceiver 208 to transmit communications to a peer device within short range communication if the power level is below a predetermined threshold. For example, the first transceiver 206 can be a Wide Area Network (WAN) transceiver using high power consumption over a wide-area. The WAN transceiver can be used for primary communication such as private radio or cellular operation. The WAN transceiver is generally required to transmit and receive over wide areas that cover several kilometers. The WAN transceiver can therefore require a significant amount of power to support the transmitter and high sensitivity receiver components in order to meet the networks range requirement, such as communication coverage within at least one 1 kilometer.
The second transceiver 208 can be a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or Personal Area Network (PAN) using low power consumption over a short-range providing communication coverage within at least 100 meters. The WLAN and PAN transceivers generally have much less power consumption due to the small range requirements of these networks such as 1-100 meters. The processor 210 can extend a battery life of the mobile device 102a by switching from the first transceiver 206 to the second low power transceiver 208 when the battery falls below a predetermined threshold. The mobile device 102 can communicate with a peer using a Bluetooth, ZigBee (Beacon mode), wireless USB, LP 802.11b/g, or magnetic induction technology to transmit and receive communication data from a base receiver.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
At step 301, the method 300 can start. The method 300 can start in a state when the mobile device 102 is in power up mode, idle mode, in a voice call, or in a data communication mode. At step 302, a power-level of a mobile device can be monitored. The power-level identifies the longevity of the mobile device in providing communication. At step 304, a determination can be made if the power-level is below a pre-determined threshold. For example, referring back to
Returning back to
Upon identifying the peers that are within short-range communication of the mobile device 102a, the peers can be prioritized and ranked. In one arrangement, the peers can be ranked by available power level. For example, in
In yet another arrangement, the peers can be ranked by permission. For example, a peer may want to impose restrictions for allowing a mobile device to use the peer as a proxy. As an example, a peer may not want an unauthorized or unknown mobile device to utilize resources of the peer such as the battery power. Accordingly, the peer can assign permissions for allowing the peer to be used to extend another mobile device's battery life. The peer can also request a visual or auditory cue to identify when a mobile device is seeking permission, and any information associated with the mobile device or user of the mobile device. As one example, permissions can be signed to caller groups, individuals, organizations, companies, or individual people. For instance, a anytime grant permission can be provided to users on a same call group or on a friend list. A business grant permission can be provided to users in the same company or business. As yet another example, shown in
Returning back to
As an example, the mobile device 102a may be in a call with mobile device 102c over the RF link of the base receivers 110. The mobile device 102a uses the high-power WAN receiver 206 to communicate with the base receivers 110. Upon determining a low battery power-level, the mobile device 102a identifies peer 102b within the WLAN coverage area 150, and then establishes communication with the peer 102b. The peer 102b then proxies communication between mobile device 102a and mobile device 102c over the WLAN connection. The mobile device 102a employs the low-power WLAN transceiver 208 to communicate with the peer 102b thereby extending battery life of the mobile device 102a. Returning back to
Referring to
At step 420, the mobile device can power-up. Upon power-up, the mobile device 102a can receive calls, place phone calls, and communicate data, such as text messages, audio, or video. In the example of
Recall, in
If a permissions time limit is exceeded (429), a call shut down announcement is made at 423 and call shutdown procedure commences (431). That is, the peer terminates the call which ends the call for the mobile device 102a. In another arrangement, other peers can be identified for handing over the call prior to shut-down termination. In such regard, the call is not terminated and the call continues transparently from the perspective of the user. For example, the peer can limit a permission which informs the mobile device 102a to search for another peer (see 429). The peer 102b can continue to provide proxy services to the end of the call (430) if permissions are not limited. The peer 102b may limit permissions during the call which requires the mobile device 102a to source other peers for extending the battery life. For example, at step 432 the peer donating the resources may cancel permissions to the mobile device to start it's own phone call. The canceling of permissions by the donor peer can invoke a call-shut down procedure (431) which requires the mobile device to source other peers and requires a new call set-up procedure.
In
At step 502, the mobile device can start a call. The mobile device 102a uses the high power WAN modem 506 to place the call to one of the base receivers 110 shown in
At step 510, the peer 102b can acknowledge user of resources and allow the peer 102b to serve as a transmit or receive proxy for the mobile device 102a. At step 512, the PAN link can be established between the mobile device 102a and the peer 102b. The PAN link is established between the PAN modem 538 and the PAN modem 548. This will allow the mobile device 102a to send and receive data through the peer 102b to the wide area network (WAN). At step 514, the request to use the peer 102b can be confirmed. For example, an auditory or visual indicator can be provided to the user through the user interface 535 to inform the user that a peer for extending battery life is available. At step 516, a secure link can be established between the mobile device 102a and the peer 102b. An acknowledgement can be provided at step 518 through the user interface 535 to inform the user that the call can be placed. At step 520, the user can place the call through the peer 102b. The peer device 102b can also provide a visual or auditory indicator that the call is in progress. This allows the peer device to monitor resource use and/or cancel permissions if necessary. At step 522, the peer 102b can place the call as a proxy through the WAN modem 546. Notably, the peer 102b uses the high-power WAN modem to make the call. In another arrangement, the peer 102b can source other peers to make the high-current drain call.
Where applicable, the present embodiments of the invention can be realized in hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein are suitable. A typical combination of hardware and software can be a mobile communications device with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, can control the mobile communications device such that it carries out the methods described herein. Portions of the present method and system may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein and which when loaded in a computer system, is able to carry out these methods.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the embodiments of the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present embodiments of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
