Cell phone wireless speaker-microphone sleep modes
View Patent ↗A hand held radio host includes circuitry for selectively providing power to radiating transceiver elements and non-radiating application elements according to a plurality of power modes of operation to achieve desired effects and in a way that saves power and extends battery life. In one embodiment of the invention, the hand held host operates in one of three modes. In a full power mode, any selected application element, as well as all transceiver elements, are powered on at the same time. Thus, for example, a cell phone module, a wireless personal access network module, a wireless local area network module, and one of a pager/short message service message module may all be powered on at the same time to receive corresponding messages, calls, data sessions, etc.
1. A radio transceiver hand held host system, comprising:
first and second wireless transceiver units operatively coupled to function as a single system;
the first wireless transceiver unit further comprising:
first and second radio front end circuit blocks for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communication signals utilizing first and second wireless communication protocols, respectively, the first and second radio front end circuit blocks further including a plurality of transceiver elements;
logic for prompting a processor module to control power levels of a plurality of transceiver and application elements according to an operational mode of the radio transceiver system; and
wherein the logic, based upon the operational mode of the radio transceiver system, controls power levels of at least one of the first and second radio front end circuit blocks and further prompts one of the first or second radio front end circuit blocks to transmit power mode control signals to prompt the second wireless transceiver unit to enter into a power saving mode; and
the second wireless transceiver unit further comprising:
third radio front end circuit block further including a plurality of transceiver elements for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communication signals utilizing the second wireless communication protocol; and
logic for prompting the third radio front end circuit block to control power levels of application elements and the plurality of transceiver elements of the third radio front end block.
2. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the second wireless transceiver unit comprises a wireless headset host and further wherein the power mode control signals prompt the second wireless transceiver unit to place a plurality of transceiver and circuit elements of the second wireless transceiver unit into a deep sleep mode to conserve power.
3. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 2 wherein the plurality of transceiver and circuit elements of the second wireless transceiver unit comprises at least one speaker, a microphone, and at least one amplifier.
4. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 2 wherein the wireless headset host is operable to exit the deep sleep mode by powering up based upon the power mode control signals received from the first wireless transceiver unit.
5. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 4 wherein the power mode control signals generated by the first wireless transceiver unit direct the wireless headset host into or out of a deep sleep mode based upon a broadcast channel indicating whether there are any pending messages for a user of the radio transceiver hand held host system.
6. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the first radio front end circuit block is operable to communicate over a cellular communication protocol.
7. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the second and third radio front end circuit blocks are operable to communicate over a wireless local area network communication protocol.
8. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the second and third radio front end circuit blocks are operable to communicate according to at least one of an 802.11 based protocol and a personal area network protocol.
9. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the logic is operable to place the first and second radio front end circuit blocks in a deep sleep mode and then, while keeping the second radio front end circuit block in deep sleep mode, to prompt the first radio front end circuit block to power up to search and analyze a broadcast signal to determine if there are any pending messages for the user of the radio transceiver hand held host system.
10. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the logic is operable to prompt the second radio front end circuit block to power up to transmit a wireless signal to the third radio front end circuit block to power up.
11. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 10 wherein the second radio front end circuit block continues to transmit the wireless signal to power up to the third radio front end circuit block until the third radio front end circuit block generates a reply.
12. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 11 wherein second radio front end continues to transmit the wireless signal to power up to the third radio front end circuit block until the third radio front end circuit block generates a reply.
13. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 11 wherein the second wireless transceiver unit includes logic for, while in a deep sleep mode of operation, to prompt the second wireless transceiver unit to periodically power up at least partially to determine if the first wireless transceiver unit is transmitting the power up wireless signal.
14. The radio transceiver hand held host of claim 1 wherein the logic formed is in hardware.
15. The radio transceiver hand held host of claim 1 wherein the logic formed is in software instructions executed by a processor.
16. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the logic of the first wireless transceiver unit prompts at least one of front end radio transceiver circuitry, analog-to digital circuitry, digital-to-analog circuitry, and user interface circuitry to power down.
17. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the logic of the second wireless transceiver unit prompts at least one of front end radio transceiver circuitry, analog-to digital circuitry, digital-to-analog circuitry, and user interface circuitry to power down.
18. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 1 wherein the logic of the first wireless transceiver unit selectively powers at least one of a game module, an MP3 module, a calculator module, an audio module, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standards serial infrared communications data link, a remote I/O (RIO) module, and a cellular phone transceiver front end circuit.
19. The radio transceiver hand held host system of claim 18 wherein the first wireless transceiver unit is operable to generate control signals to place the second wireless transceiver unit into a deep sleep mode whenever transceiver elements of the first wireless transceiver unit are to be powered down.