Qualcomm Incorporated

Other

Robbin D Hughes

James A Hutchison, Iv

Rotem Cooper

Serguei A Glazko

Baaziz Achour

Gwain Bayley

Jan C Ault

Thomas M O'Neil

Prem Jothipragasam Kumar

De-Gang Yao

Raghu Narayan Challa

Samir Salib Soliman

Messay Amerga

Paul T Williamson

Alex Kuang-Hsuan Tu

Ling Hang

Farrukh Usmani

Glenn A Salaman

Wen Jing New

Mark D Levin

Syed Nadeem Ahsan

Scott M Owen

Vanitha Aravamudhan

A method of classifying a client device and a device manager to allow for end users to share devices is described.

Management of shared client device and device manager

One or more embodiments of the present invention disclose a system and method for enhancing the communication capabilities of a personal electronic device by modifying its existing battery module, adding communication circuitry to the modified module, and providing for the personal device to communicate in a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) via this modified battery module. The system and method consists of a personal device's existing battery pack modified to contain one or more wireless communication circuits, the wireless communication circuitry included in the modified battery module, and the method by which the personal device will communicate to the WWAN using the modified battery module. The system can also be used to re-distribute WWAN communication from the modified battery module, to one or more external personal devices, using near-field communications.

System and method for enhancing personal device communication capabilities using modified battery module

Methods, devices and computer program products are disclosed that allow for wireless communication devices to operate more robustly in the slotted mode of operation in the event of network system loss. Specifically, present aspects require the wireless device to move to or remain in the slotted mode of operation as opposed to immediately entering into a system determination/acquisition mode upon failing to acquire an active set pilot during a slotted wake-up. By moving to the slotted mode of operation or providing for additional slotted-wake-ups, a number of attempts at acquiring the active set pilot can be performed before declaring the system as lost, thereby allowing for fading channel conditions to prevail without the need to re-acquire the lost system or otherwise acquire another system. Since the performance of the slotted mode is less power intensive than acquiring or re-acquiring a system, a substantial power savings is realized.

Methods and apparatus for robust slotted mode operation in fading wireless environments

CDMA code channels are acquired using a crystal oscillator that is not temperature compensated and that generates a tuning signal with relatively large frequency error (e.g., +/&#x2212;5 ppm). Channel acquisition is first attempted at no offset from a start frequency that is obtained by fitting an ideal temperature/frequency error curve to available actual data points. Following unsuccessful pilot acquisition, the offset frequency is stepped in a 'spiral' manner, and pilot acquisition is retried. When the pilot and synchronization channels are successfully acquired, but the system identification is unexpected, an adjacent channel image has been acquired, and the offset frequency is bumped by a large step (e.g., 15 kHz). Pilot acquisition is retried using spiral stepping. The crystal oscillator is calibrated after each successful acquisition of the pilot, synchronization and paging channels by retaining a data point in a frequency adjustment table for the temperature at which frequency acquisition was successful.

CDMA frequency acquisition using a simplified crystal oscillator that is not temperature compensated

In a remote unit of a wireless communication system, the speed of acquisition, or reacquisition, of a pilot signal by a search engine is increased. PN space is divided into segments and a coarse search of each segment is performed using a set of 'fast' search parameters. A set of peak signal strengths, along with their corresponding PN offsets, is saved for each segment of PN space. Following the search of all segments of PN space, the peak signal strengths which were saved during the coarse acquisition are evaluated. Coarse acquisition search results are used by the remote unit to determine fine search window parameters for subsequent searches performed by the remote unit search engine. The fine search parameters concentrate searching efforts on portions of PN space most likely to contain a viable base station pilot signal.

Fast acquisition of a pilot signal in a wireless communication device

One aspect of the invention provides a system, apparatus and method that allow a wireless communication device to intelligently search for and select a communication cell based on a system identifier (SID) and network identifier (NID) order of preference rather than just pilot signal strength. Generally, a mobile device scans a frequency channel associated with the highest preferred SID/NID for pilot signals at different PN offsets. The cell associated with the strongest pilot signal detected is queried to determine whether it belongs to the SID/NID sought. If the selected PN offset belongs to a cell associated with the SID/NID sought then it is used for communications. Otherwise, the SID/NID identification process is repeated for the next strongest PN offset detected on the same frequency channel. If no pilot signals meeting these criteria are found in the frequency channel, the next highest preferred SID/NID is selected and the process is repeated.

Technique for using the same wireless frequency channel in overlapping or adjacent coverage areas

In a remote unit of a wireless communication system, the speed of acquisition, or reacquisition, of a pilot signal by a search engine is increased. PN space is divided into segments and a coarse search of each segment is performed using a set of 'fast' search parameters. A set of peak signal strengths along with their corresponding PN offsets, is saved for each segment of PN space. Following the search of all segments of PN space, the peak signal strengths which were saved during the coarse acquisition are evaluated. Coarse acquisition search results are used by the remote unit to determine fine search window parameters for subsequent searches performed by the remote unit search engine. The fine search parameters concentrate searching efforts on portions of PN space most likely to contain a viable base station pilot signal.

Various techniques for improving a wireless communication device are described. The techniques may include reducing power in a wireless communication device for a first sleep period and then increasing power in the wireless communication device for an intermediate wake period after the first sleep period to estimate an error of the sleep clock. The method may further include reducing power in the wireless communication device for a second sleep period after the intermediate wake period. The intermediate wake mode implemented during the intermediate period can be used to estimate the error of the sleep clock without performing one or more tasks associated with an awake mode, such as demodulation. The techniques may facilitate the effective use of low frequency low power clocks for sleep mode, even when relatively large slot cycles are defined within a slotted paging system.

Intermediate wake mode to track sleep clock frequency in a wireless communication device

A method and apparatus for improving searching in a remote unit of a slotted mode, wireless, communication system. In a slotted mode communication system, the remote unit enters an 'active state' during its assigned slot. While in the active state, a controller in the remote unit passes selected sets of search parameters to a search engine. The order that the searches are performed is based on the measured signal strength and the age of the measurement. The search engine performs searches using the selected sets of search parameters. Searching continues as long as the remote unit is in the active state. When the remote unit enters the inactive state, searching ceases. While in the inactive state, the controller evaluates the results of the searches performed during the previous active state. During the next active state, the next sequence of searching is performed based on measured signal strength and the measurement age corresponding to the measurements made during the previous active state.

Prioritization of searching by a remote unit in a wireless communication system

Microprocessor resources controlling a searching process and other functions in a wireless remote unit are allocated to maintain the link while allowing sufficient microprocessor resources to be allocated to other remote unit functions. A current search rate limit is increase if the microprocessor is not overloaded and the current search rate limit is less than an higher upper limit. The current search rate limit is decreased if the microprocessor is overloaded and the current search rate limit is greater than a lower upper limit. The priority of other tasks is adjusted if the microprocessor is overloaded and the current search rate limit is equal to the lower upper limit.

Dynamic allocation of microprocessor resources in a wireless communication device

A method and apparatus for improving search efficiency in a remote unit of a slotted mode, wireless communication system. In a slotted mode communication system the remote unit is in an &ldquo;active state&rdquo; only during its assigned slot. A controller in the remote unit passes a selected set of search parameters to a search engine at the beginning of the assigned slot. The search engine performs a search, using the selected set of search parameters, and stores the search results. The controller then immediately passes another set of search parameters to the search engine for the next search without evaluating the results of the just completed search. Searching continues as long as the remote unit is in its assigned slot. When the remote unit enters the inactive state the controller evaluates the results of the searches performed during the active state. Evaluation of the search results provides a basis for the controller to generate new sets of search parameters to be used during the next active state of the remote unit.

Efficient searching by a remote unit in a slotted mode communication system

Techniques to efficiently process paging channels in an asynchronous wireless communication system. In one aspect, if the base stations are not synchronized with each other and a remote terminal's designated page time is different from base station to base station, the remote terminal can wake up based on the earliest base station in a reacquisition search list that includes candidate base stations to which the remote terminal may be handed off. In another aspect, the criteria to select base stations for evaluation as reacquisition targets may be based on the received power of the base stations as well as their timing, both of which may be made relative to that of a preferred base station. In yet another aspect, the remote terminal may wake up multiple times in a particular paging cycle (i.e., a frame cycle or a DRX cycle) if there are one or more candidates base station to which the remote terminal may be handed off.

Method and apparatus for performing idle mode reacquisition and handoff in an asynchronous communication system

A method and apparatus for dynamically varying the response of a digital filter in a pilot signal detection circuit in response to the number of pilots that are scheduled to be searched. The apparatus comprises a searcher subsystem for generating a pilot energy sample. The pilot energy sample is then digitally filtered in a filter whose coefficients are determined in response to the number of pilots that are scheduled to be searched. A control processor determines the number of pilot signals to be searched, and calculates a filter length in response to the number of pilot signals to be searched. Furthermore, the control processor filters the pilot energy sample according to filter coefficients which are based on the calculated filter length.

Dynamic filtering of pilot energy samples in a wireless communication system

A method and apparatus for improving searching in a remote unit of a slotted mode, wireless, communication system. In a slotted mode communication system, the remote unit is in an &ldquo;active state&rdquo; during its assigned slot. While in the active state, a controller in the remote unit passes selected sets of search parameters to a search engine. The integration interval of the searches performed is based on the measured signal strength of another base station. The search engine performs searches using the integration interval. Searching continues as long as the remote unit is in the active state. When the remote unit enters the inactive state, searching ceases.

Dynamically adjusting integration interval based on a signal strength

A method to enhance performance of a dual-mode or dual-band mobile phone includes, after the phone has initially connected to a CDMA wireless network, monitoring a level of total power received by the phone. This power level is compared to a preset threshold level. If the power level remains below the threshold level for over two seconds, the dual-mode or dual-band phone switches to an AMPS or other network retrieved from the preferred roaming list that is stored in the phone. If the power level is above the threshold, the phone moves into the idle state. Once in the idle state, both the pilot strength and Received Signal Strength Indication are monitored. If both of these levels are below respective thresholds for over eight seconds, the phone switches to another network stored in the preferred roaming list. If the mobile phone is not a dual-mode or dual-band phone, the mobile phone can perform similar measurements and switch between service provider systems compatible with the mobile phone.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Robbin D Hughes