Method for reducing the power consumption of a mobile device

Abstract

Where a communications device maintains multiple wireless connections to other devices and networks which use slotted communications protocols, the slots used by those protocols are arranged so as to minimise the power consumed by the device. Where multiple radios are used, power is minimised by avoiding using radios at the same time when those radios are likely to interfere with each other. Slots used by communication protocols can also be selected to maximise the time that the communications device can spend in lower power mode.

1 . A method of operating a wireless device comprising a plurality of radio subsystems, the method comprising:
 obtaining parameters for each of the radio subsystems, the parameters comprising a repetition rate of polling for paging requests from other wireless devices and interference characteristics of the radio subsystem;   responsive to the obtained parameters for the plurality of radio subsystems, selecting one or more paging slots for each of the radio subsystems according to an optimization that selects different paging slots for at least two interfering to radio subsystems and minimizes overhead of the wireless device entering and leaving a low power mode;   setting a repetition pattern for each of the plurality of radio subsystems based on the selected paging slots for that radio subsystem; and   then operating each of the plurality of radio subsystems to poll for paging requests over its corresponding radio interface according to the repetition pattern set for that radio subsystem.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the obtained parameters for one or more of the plurality of radio subsystems further comprises one or more quality of service (QoS) parameters;
 and wherein the optimization includes the obtained QoS parameters in selecting the one or more paging slots for at least one of the radio subsystems.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein one of the QoS parameters corresponds to a higher repetition rate for one of the radio subsystems relative to another one of the radio subsystems. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless device comprises a computing device implementing each of the plurality of radio subsystems as a software defined radio (SDR). 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein each of the SDRs is provided with an application programming interface (API) through which the computing device controls operation of the SDR and obtains the obtained parameters for the SDR. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operating step comprises:
 causing the wireless device to leave the low power mode and enter a normal mode to operate, in a first time interval comprising at least one paging slot, a first set of one or more radio subsystems to poll for paging requests over a first set of wireless connections; and   while remaining in the normal mode in a second time interval comprising at least one paging slot, the second time interval adjacent in time to the first time interval, operating a second set of one or more radio subsystems to poll for paging requests over a second set of wireless connections, respectively; and   after the second time interval, causing the wireless device to enter into the low power mode;   and wherein at least one of the first and second sets of radio subsystems comprises a plurality of radio subsystems that, when simultaneously operating, do not interfere with one another.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operating step comprises:
 causing the wireless device to leave the low power mode and enter a normal mode to operate, in a first time interval comprising at least one paging slot, a first set of one or more radio subsystems to poll for paging requests over a first set of wireless connections; and   while remaining in the normal mode in a second time interval comprising at least one paging slot, the second time interval adjacent in time to the first time interval, operating a second set of one or more radio subsystems to poll for paging requests over a second set of wireless connections, respectively; and   after the second time interval, causing the wireless device to enter into the low power mode;   and wherein one or more of the radio subsystems in the wireless device can be shared by more than one wireless connection.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operating step further comprises:
 causing the wireless device to leave the low power mode and enter a normal mode to operate, in a first time interval comprising at least one paging slot, a first set of one or more radio subsystems to poll for paging requests over a first set of wireless connections; and   while remaining in the normal mode in a second time interval comprising at least one paging slot, the second time interval adjacent in time to the first time interval, operating a second set of one or more radio subsystems to poll for paging requests over a second set of wireless connections, respectively;   after the second time interval, causing the wireless device to enter into the low power mode; and   while remaining in the normal mode in a third time interval comprising at least one paging slot, the third time interval adjacent in time to the second time interval, operating a third set of one or more radio subsystems in the wireless device to poll for paging requests over a third set of the plurality of wireless connections, respectively; and   and wherein the step of causing the wireless device to enter into the low power mode is performed after the third time interval.   
     
     
         9 . A wireless device comprising:
 a plurality of radio interfaces, each maintaining one of a plurality of wireless connections to another device; and   a computing device implementing a plurality of software defined radios (SDRs), each SDR for performing modulation and demodulation of wireless signals over a wireless connection through a corresponding one of the plurality of radio interfaces according to a slotted communication protocol;   wherein the computing device is configured to cause the wireless device to operate according to a plurality of operations comprising:   obtaining parameters for each of the SDRs, the parameters comprising a repetition rate of polling for paging requests from other wireless devices and interference characteristics of the radio subsystem;   responsive to the obtained parameters for the plurality of SDRs, selecting one or more paging slots for each of the SDRs according to an optimization that selects different paging slots for at least two interfering SDRs and minimizes overhead of the wireless device entering and leaving a low power mode;   setting a repetition pattern for each of the plurality of SDRs based on the selected paging slots for that SDR; and   then operating each of the plurality of SDRs to poll for paging requests over its corresponding radio interface according to the repetition pattern set for that SDR.   
     
     
         10 . The wireless device of  claim 9 , wherein the obtained parameters for one or more of the plurality of SDRs further comprises one or more quality of service (QoS) parameters;
 and wherein the optimization includes the obtained QoS parameters in selecting the one or more paging slots for at least one of the SDRs.   
     
     
         11 . The wireless device of  claim 10 , wherein one of the QoS parameters corresponds to a higher repetition rate for one of the SDRs relative to another one of the SDRs. 
     
     
         12 . The wireless device of  claim 11 , wherein each of the SDRs is provided with an application programming interface (API) through which the computing device controls operation of the SDR and obtains the obtained parameters for the SDR. 
     
     
         13 . The wireless device of  claim 9 , wherein the operating of each of the plurality of SDRs comprises:
 causing the wireless device to leave the low power mode and enter a normal mode to operate, in a first time interval comprising at least one paging slot, a first set of one or more SDRs to poll for paging requests over a first set of wireless connections; and   while remaining in the normal mode in a second time interval comprising at least one paging slot, the second time interval adjacent in time to the first time interval, operating a second set of one or more SDRs to poll for paging requests over a second set of wireless connections, respectively; and   after the second time interval, causing the wireless device to enter into the low power mode;   and wherein at least one of the first and second sets of SDRs comprises a plurality of SDRs that, when simultaneously operating, do not interfere with one another.   
     
     
         14 . The wireless device of  claim 9 , wherein the operating of each of the plurality of SDRs further comprises:
 causing the wireless device to leave the low power mode and enter a normal mode to operate, in a first time interval comprising at least one paging slot, a first set of one or more SDRs to poll for paging requests over a first set of wireless connections; and   while remaining in the normal mode in a second time interval comprising at least one paging slot, the second time interval adjacent in time to the first time interval, operating a second set of one or more SDRs to poll for paging requests over a second set of wireless connections, respectively; and   after the second time interval, causing the wireless device to enter into the low power mode;   and wherein one or more of the SDRs in the wireless device can be shared by more than one wireless connection.   
     
     
         15 . The wireless device of  claim 9 , wherein the operating of each of the plurality of SDRs further comprises:
 causing the wireless device to leave the low power mode and enter a normal mode to operate, in a first time interval comprising at least one paging slot, a first set of one or more SDRs to poll for paging requests over a first set of wireless connections; and   while remaining in the normal mode in a second time interval comprising at least one paging slot, the second time interval adjacent in time to the first time interval, operating a second set of one or more SDRs to poll for paging requests over a second set of wireless connections, respectively; and   after the second time interval, causing the wireless device to enter into the low power mode; and   while remaining in the normal mode in a third time interval comprising at least one paging slot, the third time interval adjacent in time to the second time interval, operating a third set of one or more SDRs to poll for paging requests over a third set of the plurality of wireless connections, respectively;   and wherein the step of causing the wireless device to enter into the low power mode is performed after the third time interval.