Apparatus and method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a wireless communication device and a method for wireless communication. The wireless communication device includes a baseband processor and a controller. The baseband processor is configured to generate state information about the channel of the wireless communication by processing baseband signals. The controller is configured to enable low-power operation based on the state information in a first channel state where the channel quality is degraded compared to a second channel state.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0023840, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on February 26, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to wireless communication, and more specifically, to a device and method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems provide the ability to transmit information between base stations and devices without using wired connections. In some cases, wireless communication systems use high-frequency bands and / or highly complex protocols for high data throughput.

[0005] Devices used for wireless communication include high-performance devices that support high-frequency bands and highly complex protocols. As a result, the power consumption of high-performance devices increases. In some cases, low-complexity communication methods are used when the signal quality of the device deteriorates (e.g., when accessing the system using a more basic communication standard). However, the power consumption of the device may not decrease accordingly with the deterioration in signal quality, resulting in high power consumption relative to the performance level. Therefore, there is a need in the art for systems and methods that achieve more efficient power usage in high-performance devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides an apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in wireless communication without sacrificing throughput, and for controlling power consumption in wireless communication.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, comprising: a baseband processor configured to generate state information about a channel for wireless communication by processing baseband signals; and a controller configured to enable low-power operation based on the state information in a first channel state that is worse than a second channel state.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device is provided, the method comprising: generating state information about a channel for wireless communication by processing a baseband signal; and enabling low-power operation based on the state information in a first channel state that is worse than a second channel state.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, comprising: an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert an analog signal generated from a signal received through a wireless communication channel into a digital signal; a baseband processor configured to generate state information about the channel by processing the digital signal; and a controller configured to adjust the effective number of bits of the digital signal based on the state information.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a communication method includes: communicating in a high-performance mode; generating channel state information of a channel; determining, based on the channel state information, that the channel state includes a low-quality channel state; and communicating in a low-power mode on the channel based on the determination. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 This is a diagram of a wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 3A and Figure 3B These are block diagrams illustrating examples of user equipment for wireless communication according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a diagram illustrating an example of the effective number of bits data according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation to reduce the number of effective bits according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 9A and Figure 9BThis is a block diagram illustrating the operation of reducing the number of effective bits according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating a data processor according to an example embodiment; and

[0026] Figure 15 This is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a user device according to a concept of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communication devices. More specifically, embodiments of this disclosure relate to a wireless communication device capable of reducing power consumption based on signal quality. Some embodiments adjust channel quality or the connectivity status of the device. For example, the device may adjust the effective number of bits based on channel quality or connectivity status.

[0028] In some cases, the communication technology used by a high-performance wireless device may be excessive if the connection or signal quality deteriorates. As a result, the device may also consume excessive power for the communication level available based on the signal quality.

[0029] Therefore, this disclosure describes a wireless communication device comprising: a baseband processor configured to generate state information about a channel; and a controller configured to enable a low-power operation mode based on the state information in a first channel state that is worse than a second channel state (i.e., the signal quality is reduced).

[0030] Figure 1This is a diagram of a wireless communication system 5 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As a non-limiting example, wireless communication system 5 can be a wireless communication system using a cellular network, such as a 5th generation new radio (5G NR) system, a long-term evolution (LTE) system, an advanced LTE system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a global mobile communication system (GSM) system, or any other wireless communication system (e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN) system or any other wireless communication system). Hereinafter, wireless communication system 5 is primarily described with reference to a 5G NR system as a wireless communication system using a cellular network, but the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0031] Base station (BS) 10 is generally referred to as a fixed station that communicates with user equipment and / or other base stations, and can exchange data and control information through communication with user equipment and / or other base stations. For example, BS 10 can be referred to as Node B, Evolved Node B (eNB), Next Generation Node B (gNB), sector, site, Base Transceiver System (BTS), Access Point (AP), Relay Node, Remote Radio Header (RRH), Radio Unit (RU), small cell, etc. In this document, BS 10 or cell can be generally interpreted as representing some area or function covered by the Base Station Controller (BSC) in CDMA, Node B in WCDMA, eNode B (eNB) in LTE, gNB or sector (site) in 5G, etc., and can encompass various coverage areas such as megacells, macrocells, microcells, picocells, femtocells, relay nodes, RRHs, RUs, and small cell communication ranges.

[0032] User equipment (UE) 100 may be fixed or mobile and may be referred to as any device capable of communicating with BS 10 to send or receive data and / or control information. For example, UE 100 may be referred to as a terminal, terminal equipment, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), user terminal (UT), subscriber station (SS), wireless device, handheld device, etc. In this document, UE 100 or components included in UE 100 for wireless communication may be referred to as devices for wireless communication. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept are described primarily with reference to UE 100, but the exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept are not limited thereto.

[0033] The wireless communication network between UE 100 and BS 10 can support communication between multiple users by sharing available network resources. For example, in the wireless communication network, information can be transmitted using various multi-connectivity methods such as CDMA, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), OFDM-FDMA, OFDM-TDMA, and OFDM-CDMA. Figure 1 As shown, UE 100 can communicate with BS 10 via uplink UL and downlink DL. In some embodiments, UE 100 can communicate with other user equipment via sidelinks such as device-to-device (D2D). Figure 1 As shown, UE 100 may include antenna 120, transceiver 140, baseband processor 160, and controller 180. In some embodiments, at least two of antenna 120, transceiver 140, baseband processor 160, and controller 180 may be included in a single semiconductor package.

[0034] Antenna 120 can receive signals from BS 10 in receive mode or output signals provided by transceiver 140 in transmit mode. In some embodiments, antenna 120 may include a plurality of antennas for at least one of spatial diversity, polarization diversity, spatial multiplexing, and beamforming.

[0035] Transceiver 140 may be connected to antenna 120 and communicate with baseband processor 160. In some embodiments, transceiver 140 may be referred to as a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC). Transceiver 140 may provide an RX baseband signal RX_BB to baseband processor 160 by processing radio frequency (RF) signals received from antenna 120 in receive mode.

[0036] For example, UE 100 may generate a signal at one frequency (e.g., a relatively low frequency) and then transmit and receive the signal at another frequency (e.g., a relatively high frequency). The frequency at which the signal is generated (or processed by the receiver) is sometimes referred to as the baseband frequency, while the transmission frequency (or reception frequency) is referred to as the radio frequency (RF). By combining the received frequency with another signal and filtering the result, a signal at one frequency (e.g., the transmission frequency) can be converted to another frequency (e.g., the baseband frequency).

[0037] Additionally or alternatively, in transmit mode, transceiver 140 can provide an RF signal to antenna 120 by processing the TX baseband signal TX_BB received from baseband processor 160. In some embodiments, transceiver 140 may include analog circuitry such as analog filters, mixers, power amplifiers, and low-noise amplifiers, and in some embodiments, as referred to below. Figure 3A The description may include analog-to-digital converters. For example... Figure 1 As shown, transceiver 140 can receive a first control signal CTR1 from controller 180 and perform low-power operation based on the first control signal CTR1.

[0038] For example, UE 100 may include multiple operating modes. In a first operating mode (e.g., high-performance mode), UE 100 may be able to perform more complex signal processing or communicate at a higher data rate. In a second operating mode (e.g., low-power operation), the UE may not perform high-complexity operations and may not be able to communicate data at the same rate as in high-performance mode. However, in low-power operation mode, the UE may consume less power than in high-performance mode. In some cases, if the channel quality is below a threshold, operation in high-performance mode may not achieve the desired increase in data rate (e.g., if the communication protocol used for operation under low-quality signals does not provide the same data rate as another communication protocol used when the signal quality is higher). Therefore, in some embodiments, UE 100 may detect a channel state (e.g., signal quality) below a threshold and then switch to low-power operation mode accordingly.

[0039] Baseband processor 160 can communicate with transceiver 140 and process baseband signals. For example, baseband processor 160 may include a demodulator, decoder, etc., and in receive mode, it can extract the payload of BS 10 by processing the baseband signal RX_BB received from transceiver 140. Additionally or alternatively, baseband processor 160 may include a modulator, encoder, etc., in transmit mode, to generate a TX baseband signal TX_BB based on the payload of UE 100 and provide the baseband signal TX_BB to transceiver 140. The payload of UE 100 may include the payload generated by baseband processor 160 and / or the payload generated by other processors included in UE 100 (e.g., the main processor that typically controls UE 100). Figure 1 As shown, the baseband processor 160 can generate state information S_INF of the wireless communication channel and connection information C_INF about the wireless communication connection by processing the baseband signal, and can provide the state information S_INF and connection information C_INF to the controller 180.

[0040] Components of UE 100, such as transceiver 140 and baseband processor 160, may be designed to support the frequency bands and protocols defined by wireless communication system 5. For example, for high throughput, wireless communication system 5 may employ high-frequency band protocols such as millimeter wave (mmWave) and high-complexity protocols such as 256QAM. Additionally or alternatively, transceiver 140 and baseband processor 160 may be designed to provide high performance. Therefore, transceiver 140 may have high power consumption. However, when the channel between BS 10 and UE 100 is insufficient, BS 10 may employ lower frequency bands and / or lower complexity schemes in downlink DL and / or uplink UL, and in this case, the performance provided by transceiver 140 and / or baseband processor 160 of UE 100 may be excessive.

[0041] Even in connection states where high throughput is not required (e.g., during a phone call), idle states, discontinuous reception (DRX) states, initial access states, etc., the performance provided by the transceiver 140 and / or baseband processor 160 of UE 100 may be excessive. As described below, the controller 180 can dynamically limit the performance of the transceiver 140 and / or baseband processor 160 based on channel and connection states. Therefore, unnecessary power consumption of the transceiver 140 and / or baseband processor 160 can be eliminated.

[0042] In some embodiments, controller 180 may receive status information S_INF from baseband processor 160, and based on the status information S_INF, provide a first control signal CTR1 to transceiver 140 and a second control signal CTR2 to baseband processor 160. In some embodiments, controller 180 may generate the first control signal CTR1 and the second control signal CTR2 based on the status information S_INF to enable low-power operation in channels with poor status (e.g., low-quality channels). Therefore, reduced power consumption can be achieved. Additionally or alternatively, controller 180 may generate the first control signal CTR1 and the second control signal CTR2 based on the status information S_INF to disable low-power operation in channels with good status (or high performance) (e.g., high-quality channels). Therefore, high throughput can be obtained.

[0043] In some embodiments, the controller 180 may receive connection information C_INF from the baseband processor 160, and based on the connection information C_INF, provide a first control signal CTR1 to the transceiver 140 and a second control signal CTR2 to the baseband processor 160. In some embodiments, the controller 180 may generate the first control signal CTR1 and the second control signal CTR2 based on the connection information C_INF to enable low-power operation in connection states corresponding to low processing complexity. Therefore, reduced power consumption can be achieved. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 180 may generate the first control signal CTR1 and the second control signal CTR2 based on the connection information C_INF to disable low-power operation in connection states corresponding to high processing complexity. Therefore, high throughput can be obtained.

[0044] The channel state can be determined based on the channel estimation process. For example, in some cases, UE 100 can perform channel estimation by generating Channel State Information (CSI), which describes the channel properties of the communication link. For instance, the CSI can be determined by analyzing a reference signal transmitted by the transmitter. In some cases, the CSI can describe how the signal propagates from the transmitter to the receiver and can represent, for example, the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power attenuation. After generating the CSI, this information can be used to adapt the transmission and reception processes to the current channel conditions. This can lead to improved communication rates and reliability, especially in multi-antenna systems. In some cases, the CSI is estimated at the receiver, which provides feedback to the transmitter (although reverse link estimation is also possible). In some cases, the transmitter and receiver may have different CSIs.

[0045] As described above, unnecessary power consumption can be eliminated by adaptively adjusting the performance of the UE 100 used for wireless communication without sacrificing wireless communication throughput. Additionally or alternatively, the adaptively adjustable power consumption can increase as the complexity of the frequency band and / or protocol of the wireless communication system 5 increases. For example, the performance of the transceiver 140 and / or the baseband processor 160 can be higher. As a result, high-performance wireless communication and reduced power consumption can be achieved simultaneously.

[0046] Reference Figure 1Antenna 120 and transceiver 140 may be collectively referred to as front-end module FE, and baseband processor 160 and controller 180 may be collectively referred to as back-end module BE. In some embodiments, each of the front-end module FE and back-end module BE may be a separate product, and a communication channel for transmitting baseband signals between the front-end module FE and the back-end module BE may exist. For example, a communication channel may be formed for a TX baseband signal TX_BB and an RX baseband signal RX_BB, as well as for transmitting a first control signal CTR1. In some embodiments, UE 100 may include multiple front-end modules. In some embodiments, each of baseband processor 160 and controller 180 may include a hardware block designed by logic synthesis, a software block including a series of instructions, and at least one core for executing the series of instructions. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, baseband processor 160 and controller 180 may each correspond to a software block executed by at least one common core.

[0047] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication according to an exemplary embodiment of a concept based on the present invention. In some embodiments, Figure 2 The method can be derived from Figure 1 The backend module BE executes this. In this paper, the methods for controlling power consumption in wireless communication can be simply referred to as wireless communication methods. For example... Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 The wireless communication method may include operations S20 and S40, and is described below with reference to Figure 1 describe Figure 2 .

[0048] Reference Figure 2 The baseband processor 160 can perform the operation of generating state information S_INF about the wireless communication channel (S20). For example, the baseband processor 160 can generate state information S_INF about the channel on which the downlink DL and uplink UL are formed by processing the TX baseband signal TX_BB and the RX baseband signal RX_BB. The state information S_INF may include arbitrary information indicating the state of the channel. For example, the state information S_INF may include at least one of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-interference-to-noise ratio (SINR), reference signal received power (RSRP), channel quality indicator (CQI) index, and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index. The baseband processor 160 can determine the MCS index based on the channel state, and the MCS index may have a higher value as the channel state improves. Additionally or alternatively, the modulation order and code rate may be increased as the MCS index increases.

[0049] In some embodiments, the baseband processor 160 may generate state information S_INF based on a reference signal provided by the BS 10. For example, the BS 10 may transmit the reference signal via downlink DL for channel estimation between the BS 10 and the UE 100. The baseband processor 160 may estimate the channel by evaluating the reference signal based on an RX baseband signal RX_BB generated from a signal received through antenna 120, and may generate a TX baseband signal TX_BB that includes information indicating the estimated channel, such as channel state information (CSI). The baseband processor 160 may not only feed back the estimated channel to the BS 10, but also generate state information S_INF based on the estimated channel.

[0050] In some embodiments, the baseband processor 160 may generate state information S_INF based on information provided by the BS 10. For example, the BS 10 may determine the scheme (e.g., modulation and coding scheme (MCS)) to be used for downlink DL and / or uplink UL based on the estimated channel provided by the UE 100, and may transmit the MCS index corresponding to the determined MCS via downlink DL. The baseband processor 160 may extract the MCS index by processing the RX baseband signal RX_BB and generate state information S_INF including the MCS index.

[0051] Reference Figure 2 The controller 180 can perform an operation (S40) to enable low-power operation in a poor channel state. For example, the controller 180 can enable low-power operation in a first channel state where the signal quality is lower than that of a second channel state, based on the state information S_INF provided by the baseband processor 160. Herein, low-power operation may be referred to as a wireless communication operation that consumes relatively less power, and is enabled by the controller 180. (Refer to the above...) Figure 1 As described, since the performance provided by transceiver 140 and / or baseband processor 160 in poor channels may be unnecessarily excessive, controller 180 can reduce power consumption by limiting the performance of transceiver 140 and / or baseband processor 160. In some embodiments, as referenced below Figure 5A and Figure 5B The description allows selection of one of several low-power operations corresponding to different power consumption levels based on the channel state indicated by the state information S_INF, and enables the selected low-power operation. See below for reference. Figure 4 Examples describing operation S40, etc.

[0052] Therefore, the communication method may include: communicating in a high-performance mode; generating channel state information of the channel; determining the channel state, including a low-quality channel state, based on the channel state information; and communicating in a low-power mode on the channel based on this determination. In some cases, the high-performance mode includes processing digital signals based on a first effective number of bits, and the low-power mode includes processing digital signals based on a second effective number of bits, which is less than the first effective number of bits.

[0053] Figure 3A and Figure 3B These are block diagrams illustrating examples of UEs 200 and 300 for wireless communication according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3A and Figure 3B The block diagrams can represent UE 200 and UE 300 in receive mode, respectively. Below, with reference to... Figure 1 The given description repeats the reference. Figure 3A and Figure 3B The description has been omitted.

[0054] Reference Figure 3A Similar to Figure 1 UE 100 and UE 200 may include antenna 220, transceiver 240, baseband processor 260, and controller 280. Baseband processor 260 may provide status information S_INF and / or connection information C_INF to controller 280. Controller 280 may provide a first control signal CTR1 and a second control signal CTR2 to transceiver 240 and baseband processor 260, respectively. UE 200 may also include interface (I / F) circuitry 250 providing a communication channel between transceiver 240 and baseband processor 260. Controller 280 may provide a third control signal CTR3 to I / F circuitry 250.

[0055] like Figure 3A As shown, transceiver 240 can generate a digital signal D_SIG as... Figure 1 The baseband processor 260 receives the baseband signal RX_BB from the I / F circuit 250 and provides the digital signal D_SIG to the I / F circuit 250. The baseband processor 260 can receive the digital signal D_SIG' from the I / F circuit 250 as... Figure 1 The RX baseband signal RX_BB in the example. Figure 3A As shown, the I / F circuit 250 may include a transmit (TX) circuit 252, at least one signal line 254, and a receive (RX) circuit 256. The TX circuit 252 can transmit a signal generated from a digital signal D_SIG received from the transceiver 240 via the at least one signal line 254. The RX circuit 256 can generate a digital signal D_SIG' from the signal received via the at least one signal line 254 and provide the digital signal D_SIG' to the baseband processor 260. Figure 3AAs shown, antenna 220, transceiver 240 and TX circuit 252 can be collectively referred to as front-end module FE, while RX circuit 256, baseband processor 260 and controller 280 can be collectively referred to as back-end module BE.

[0056] Transceiver 240 may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 242, a mixer 244, an analog filter 246, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 248. LNA 242 amplifies radio frequency (RF) signals received via antenna 220, mixer 244 down-converts the output signal of LNA 242, and analog filter 246 filters the output signal of mixer 244. ADC 248 generates a digital signal D_SIG by converting the output signal (e.g., an analog signal) of analog filter 246. In some embodiments, transceiver 240 may further include... Figure 3A Components not shown, such as those used for sending modes.

[0057] Transceiver 240 may receive a first control signal CTR1 from controller 280 and selectively perform low-power operation based on the first control signal CTR1. In some embodiments, at least one of LNA 242, mixer 244, analog filter 246, and ADC 248 may have a reconfigurable structure according to the first control signal CTR1. For example, LNA 242 may have variable gain, variable bandwidth, and / or variable input / output impedance, mixer 244 may have variable matching characteristics, analog filter 246 may have variable frequency response, and ADC 248 may have variable resolution. At least one of LNA 242, mixer 244, analog filter 246, and ADC 248 may be reconfigured to have low performance and low power consumption in response to the first control signal CTR1 that enables low-power operation. Additionally or alternatively, LNA 242, mixer 244, analog filter 246, and ADC 248 may be reconfigured to have high performance and high power consumption in response to the first control signal CTR1 that disables low-power operation.

[0058] The baseband processor 260 may receive a second control signal CTR2 from the controller 280 and may selectively perform low-power operation based on the second control signal CTR2. In some embodiments, the baseband processor 260 may disable some circuitry processing baseband signals in response to the second control signal CTR2 enabling low-power operation, and may process baseband signals based on an algorithm corresponding to low power consumption. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processor 260 may re-enable the disabled circuitry in response to the second control signal CTR2 disabling low-power operation and process baseband signals based on an algorithm corresponding to high performance.

[0059] The I / F circuit 250 can receive a third control signal CTR3 from the controller 280 and can selectively perform low-power operation based on the third control signal CTR3. In some embodiments, in response to the third control signal CTR3 enabling low-power operation, the I / F circuit 250 can transmit or receive a signal with at least one bit omitted from the digital signal D_SIG via at least one signal line 254. Additionally or alternatively, in response to the third control signal CTR3 disabling low-power operation, the I / F circuit 250 can transmit or receive the digital signal D_SIG without loss via at least one signal line 254.

[0060] Reference Figure 3B The UE 300 may include an antenna 320, a transceiver 340, a baseband processor 360, and a controller 380, and also includes an ADC 350. Figure 3B As shown, antenna 320 and transceiver 340 can be collectively referred to as the front-end module FE, while ADC 350, baseband processor 360, and controller 380 can be collectively referred to as the back-end module BE. Similar to... Figure 3A The transceiver 240 and transceiver 340 may include an LNA 342, a mixer 344, and an analog filter 346. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processor 360 may provide status information S_INF and / or connection information C_INF to the controller 380, and the controller 380 may provide a first control signal CTR1 and a second control signal CTR2 to the transceiver 340 and the baseband processor 360, respectively. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 380 may provide a third control signal CTR3 to the ADC 350, and refer to the above... Figure 3A As described, the ADC 350 may have a structure reconstructed by a third control signal CTR3.

[0061] When with Figure 3A Compared to UE 200, transceiver 340 can generate an analog signal A_SIG as... Figure 1 The baseband signal RX_BB is received in the baseband processor 260, and the baseband processor 260 can receive the digital signal D_SIG as... Figure 1 The RX baseband signal RX_BB in the signal. Additionally or alternatively, with... Figure 3A The UE 200, which sends the digital signal D_SIG from the front-end module FE to the back-end module BE, is different. Figure 3B The analog signal A_SIG in the UE 300 can be sent from the front-end module FE to the back-end module BE. The transceiver 340 can transmit the analog signal A_SIG through at least one signal line 390, and the ADC 350 can generate the digital signal D_SIG by converting the analog signal A_SIG received through at least one signal line 390.

[0062] The following is mainly based on Figure 3A UE 200 describes exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept. However, exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept are applicable to... Figure 3B UE 300 and its structure Figure 3A and Figure 3B UE 200 and 300 are different UEs.

[0063] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of a concept in accordance with the present invention. In some embodiments, Figure 4 Wireless communication methods can be derived from Figure 3A UE200 execution. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the wireless communication method may include multiple operations S10a, S20a, and S40a. Hereinafter, refer to... Figure 3A describe Figure 4 And previously referenced Figure 2 The repeated descriptions given have been omitted.

[0064] An operation to convert an analog signal into a digital signal can be performed (S10a). For example, the ADC 248 included in transceiver 240 can generate a digital signal D_SIG by converting the analog signal provided by analog filter 246. The ADC 248 may have a resolution N (N is an integer greater than 1), and the digital signal D_SIG may include an N-bit signal. (Refer to the above...) Figure 3A The described digital signal D_SIG can correspond to Figure 1 The RX baseband signal RX_BB.

[0065] The operation of generating status information S_INF can be performed (S20a). For example, the baseband processor 260 can receive and Figure 1 The baseband processor 260 receives the digital signal D_SIG' corresponding to the baseband signal RX_BB and generates status information S_INF by processing the digital signal D_SIG'. The baseband processor 260 can then provide the status information S_INF to the controller 280. (See later...) Figure 10 Describe an example of operation S20a.

[0066] An operation (S40a) can be performed to adjust the effective number of bits of the digital signal. For example, the controller 280 can adjust the ENOB of the digital signal based on the status information S_INF provided by the baseband processor 260, with reference to the effective number of bits (ENOB) data D40. ENOB can be referred to as the effective resolution of the digital signal and can be determined as the signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR) that provides an SNR equal to or greater than the channel's SNR. For example, one bit of the digital signal may correspond to an SQNR of approximately 6.02 dB. Therefore, the number of bits N of the digital signal can be used to provide an SQNR of approximately Z / 6.02 or greater (where N ≥ ceil(Z / 6.02)). As the number of bits N of the digital signal increases, a higher SQNR can be obtained, but increasing the number of bits N of the digital signal may lead to an increase in cost (e.g., an increase in area, power consumption, etc.).

[0067] Controller 280 can generate first control signals CTR1 to third control signals CTR3 to reduce the ENOB of the digital signal in a poor channel, and simultaneously generate first control signals CTR1 to third control signals CTR3 to increase the ENOB of the digital signal in a good (or high-performance) channel. In some embodiments, controller 280 can use the first control signal CTR1 to adjust the ENOB of the digital signal D_SIG generated by transceiver 240. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, controller 280 can use the third control signal CTR3 to adjust the ENOB of the digital signal D_SIG' provided by I / F circuit 250. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, controller 280 can use the second control signal CTR2 to adjust the ENOB of the digital signal processed in baseband processor 260. (Refer to...) Figure 6 Examples of operation are described, such as adjusting the digital signal ENOB in response to the first control signal CTR1 to the third control signal CTR3 provided by the controller 280.

[0068] ENOB data D40 may include the ENOB corresponding to the status information S_INF and may be referenced by the controller 280. In some embodiments, ENOB data D40 may be stored in a storage unit (e.g., non-volatile memory). ENOB data D40 may be accessed by the controller 280 and included in the back-end module BE. Referring below... Figure 5A and Figure 5B Example describing ENOB data D40.

[0069] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a diagram illustrating example ENOB data D50a and D50b according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention. (Refer to the above...) Figure 4As described, ENOB data can be used to adjust the ENOB of a digital signal based on the state information S_INF. See below for reference. Figure 3A describe Figure 5A and Figure 5B Furthermore, the digital signal is assumed to be an N-bit signal.

[0070] Reference Figure 5A The Valid Number of Bits (ENOB) data D50a may include a lookup table with ENOBs corresponding to SINR. For example, as Figure 5A As shown, the ENOB data D50a may include three SINR ranges defined by a first threshold X1 and a second threshold X2 greater than the first threshold X1, with three ENOBs M1, M2, and N corresponding to them respectively. The baseband processor 260 may be based on BS (e.g., Figure 1 The reference signal provided in 10) is used to measure the SINR of the channel, and the state information S_INF may include the SINR. A good channel can have a high SINR and can perform communication based on high complexity. For example, a high modulation order scheme used for high throughput in a good channel can have a high SINR. Additionally or alternatively, a poor channel can have a low SINR, and communication can be performed based on a low complexity scheme for the reduced throughput in a poor channel. Therefore, as... Figure 5A As shown, ENOB can also increase (M1) as SINR increases. <M2<N)。

[0071] Reference Figure 5B The ENOB data D50b may include a lookup table with ENOBs corresponding to the CQI index. The CQI index may be included in the CSI provided to the BS by the UE 200. Alternatively or additionally, the CQI index may be generated based on the CQI table. For better channels, the CQI index may have a higher value. Figure 5B As shown, the ENOB data D50b may include three CQI index ranges defined by a first threshold Y1 and a second threshold Y2 greater than the first threshold Y1, and the three ENOBs M1', M2', and N' correspond to them respectively. The baseband processor 260 may generate the CQI index based on channel estimation and the CQI table, and the state information S_INF may include the CQI index. A good channel may have a high CQI index, and a high CQI index may correspond to a high modulation order. Additionally or alternatively, a poor channel may have a low CQI index, and a low CQI index may correspond to a low modulation order. Therefore, as Figure 5B As shown, as the CQI index increases, ENOB can also increase (M1'). <M2'<N)。

[0072] In some embodiments, with Figure 5A and Figure 5BUnlike that shown, the ENOB data D40 may include a function with the status information S_INF as an independent variable and the ENOB as an output. Therefore, the controller 280 may obtain the ENOB of a digital signal by providing the status information S_INF to the function.

[0073] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. Figure 6 The flowchart of Figure 4 shows a method for implementing a reduced ENOB of a digital signal in operation S40a in Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 the wireless communication method of Figure 3A may include multiple operations S62, S64, and S66, and in some embodiments, a part of the multiple operations S62, S64, and S66 may be executed to reduce the ENOB. Hereinafter, reference is made to Figure 6 .

[0074] The operation (S62) of generating at least one least significant bit (LSB) of the digital signal may be omitted. For example, the ADC 248 may omit the operation of generating at least one LSB of the digital signal D_SIG in response to a first control signal CTR1 enabling low-power operation. Therefore, the high M bits in the N bits of the digital signal D_SIG may have valid values (1 < M < N). Thus, due to the omitted operation, the power consumed by the ADC 248 may be reduced. The omission of the operation of generating at least one LSB of the digital signal D_SIG may be performed in various ways according to the structure of the ADC 248, and examples thereof will be described later with reference to Figure 7A [[ID=~21]]and Figure 7B describe examples thereof.

[0075] >The transmission (S64) of at least one LSB of the digital signal D_SIG may be omitted. For example, the I / F circuit 250 may transmit or receive the high M bits of the digital signal D_SIG by omitting the transmission and reception of at least one LSB of the digital signal D_SIG. Therefore, the I / F circuit 250 may consume less power compared to transmitting and receiving the N-bit digital signal D_SIG. Examples of operation S64 will be described later with reference to Figure 8 describe.

[0076] Processing of at least one LSB of the digital signal D_SIG can be omitted (S66). For example, in response to the second control signal CTR2 enabling low-power operation, the baseband processor 260 can omit processing of (NM) LSBs of the N bits of the digital signal D_SIG, which is a baseband signal. In this case, the baseband signal may include the signal received by the baseband processor 260 and the internal digital signal generated by the baseband processor 260. Due to the omitted processing, the power consumed by the baseband processor 260 can be reduced. An example of operation S66 will be referred to later. Figure 9A and Figure 9B describe.

[0077] Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of reducing ENOB according to an exemplary embodiment of the concept of the present invention. Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a diagram used to describe the operation of reducing ENOB in an ADC. (See above for reference.) Figure 6 As described, in response to a control signal enabling low-power operation, the ADC may omit the operation of generating at least one LSB of the digital signal D_SIG. Hereinafter, refer to... Figure 3B describe Figure 7A and Figure 7B .

[0078] In some embodiments, the ADC 350 that generates a digital signal D_SIG by converting the analog signal A_SIG may include a successive approximation (SAR) ADC. The SAR ADC may convert the analog signal to a digital signal based on a binary search and determine the bits of the digital signal sequentially from the most significant bit (MSB) to the least significant bit (LSB). Figure 7A and Figure 7B In this example, we assume that the ADC 350 generates a 3-bit digital signal D_SIG (N=3) from the analog signal A_SIG.

[0079] Reference Figure 7A In response to the third control signal CTR3 that disables low-power operation, the ADC350 can generate a digital signal D_SIG with the value "101" corresponding to the analog signal A_SIG by sequentially performing three comparison operations. Alternatively or alternatively, refer to... Figure 7B In response to the third control signal CTR3 enabling low-power operation, the ADC 350 can omit the LSB generation operation. Therefore, as Figure 7BAs shown, the ADC 350 can perform two comparison operations and generate a digital signal D_SIG with a value of "100" or "101". Therefore, due to the omitted comparison operation, the ADC 350 can consume reduced power. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the ADC 350 can generate the digital signal D_SIG earlier in response to a third control signal CTR3 that enables low-power operation, and power consumption can be reduced due to the reduced operating time of the ADC 350.

[0080] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 The flowchart is shown Figure 6 The flowchart for an example of operation S64 is shown above. Figure 6 Described, in Figure 8 In operation S64', in response to the third control signal CTR3 enabling low-power operation, Figure 3A The I / F circuit 250 in the circuit can omit the transmission of at least one LSB of the digital signal D_SIG. For example... Figure 8 As shown, operation S64' may include multiple operations S64_1, S64_3, S64_5, S64_7, and S64_9, which are described below. Figure 3A and Figure 6 describe Figure 8 .

[0081] At least one LSB of the N-bit digital signal D_SIG can be removed (S64_1). For example, the TX circuit 252 of the I / F circuit 250 can remove (or discard) (NM) LSBs from the N bits of the digital signal D_SIG provided by the transceiver 240. Thus, an M-bit signal can be generated. In some embodiments, the TX circuit 252 can remove (NM) LSBs based on rounding.

[0082] The operation of transmitting an M-bit signal via at least one signal line 254 can be performed (S64_3). For example, the TX circuit 252 can convert an M-bit signal for high-speed transmission and transmit the converted signal via at least one signal line 254. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced by transmitting M bits of the digital signal D_SIG instead of N bits. In some embodiments, the TX circuit 252 can transmit a data packet including an M-bit signal and a header via at least one signal line 254.

[0083] The operation of receiving an M-bit signal via at least one signal line 254 can be performed (S64_5). For example, the RX circuit 256 can receive a converted signal for high-speed transmission via at least one signal line 254, and obtain an M-bit signal by converting the received signal. In some embodiments, the RX circuit 256 can receive the data packet and obtain the M-bit signal by removing the header from the data packet.

[0084] An operation can be performed to concatenate at least one bit to an M-bit signal (S64_7). For example, RX circuit 256 can generate an N-bit digital signal D_SIG' by concatenating (NM) bits to an M-bit signal. In some embodiments, the (NM) bits may have values ​​such as 0 or 1. As a result, the digital signal D_SIG' generated by RX circuit 256 may correspond to a version of the digital signal D_SIG generated by transceiver 240 that has lost some information.

[0085] An operation (S64_9) can be performed to provide an N-bit signal to the baseband processor 260. For example, the RX circuit 256 can provide the baseband processor 260 with the N-bit digital signal D_SIG' generated in operation S64_7, and the baseband processor 260 can process the digital signal D_SIG'.

[0086] Figure 9A and Figure 9B This is a block diagram illustrating the operation of reducing ENOB according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 Example of operation S66 in the example, Figure 9A and Figure 9B The block diagram illustrates an example of a baseband processor for processing at least one LSB of a baseband signal in response to a second control signal CTR2 that enables low-power operation. Hereinafter, refer to... Figure 3B describe Figure 9A and Figure 9B And omitting references Figure 9A and Figure 9B Repeated description.

[0087] Reference Figure 9A The baseband processor 400 may include first processing circuits CKT_1 to Nth processing circuits CKT_N for processing the N-bit input signal IN[N:1]. The N-bit input signal IN[N:1], as a baseband signal, may be a digital signal D_SIG' provided to the baseband processor 400, or it may be an internal signal generated by the baseband processor 400 during the processing of the digital signal D_SIG'. Figure 9AAs shown, each of the first processing circuits CKT_1 to the Nth processing circuit CKT_N can process one bit of the N-bit input signal IN[N:1] and generate an N-bit output signal OUT[N:1]. Alternatively or additionally, the first processing circuits CKT_1 to the Nth processing circuit CKT_N can operate synchronously with the clock signal CLK.

[0088] The baseband processor 400 may further include a clock gating circuit 420 that, in response to a second control signal CTR2 enabling low-power operation, gates the clock signal provided to the processing circuits processing (NM) LSBs of the N-bit input signal IN[N:1]. Processing circuits j-th to N-th can generate an M-bit output signal OUT[N:N-M+1] by processing each bit of the M-bit input signal IN[N:N-M+1], independent of the second control signal CTR2 (j = N-M+1). Alternatively or additionally, when the second control signal CTR2 enables low-power operation, (NM) processing circuits (i.e., first processing circuits CKT_1 to i-th processing circuits CKT_i) can generate an (NM)-bit output signal OUT[NM:1] (i = NM) by processing each bit of the (MN)-bit input signal IN[NM:1]. Therefore, the dynamic power consumed by the first processing circuits CKT1 to i-th processing circuits CKT_i can be removed. As a result, the (NM)-bit output signal OUT[NM:1] can have a value (e.g., the value before clock gating).

[0089] Reference Figure 9B The baseband processor 500 may include a fill circuit 520 for fixing the values ​​of (NM) LSBs (i.e., (NM)-bit signal SIG[NM:1]) in an N-bit signal SIG[N:1] in response to a second control signal CTR2 that enables low-power operation. For example, as Figure 9B As shown, in response to the second control signal CTR2 enabling low-power operation, the filling circuit 520 can perform the action of filling 0 into the (NM)-bit signal SIG'[NM:1]. Therefore, subsequent operations on (NM) bits in the baseband processor 500 can be reduced or omitted. As a result, power consumption can be reduced.

[0090] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 The flowchart is shown Figure 4 The flowchart above shows an example of operation S20a. (Refer to the above...) Figure 4 The described operation (S20a') can generate status information S_INF. For example... Figure 10Operation S20a' may include multiple operations S22a, S24a, and S26a. In some embodiments, it may be possible to... Figure 1 In UE 100, operation 20a' is executed. Below, refer to... Figure 1 illustrate Figure 10 .

[0091] An operation (S22a) can be performed to determine whether a cycle has been reached. The channel between BS 10 and UE 100 may change for various reasons. For example, as UE 100 moves from the cell boundary to the cell center, the channel may gradually have a better state, but as UE 100 moves from the cell center to the boundary, the channel may gradually have a worse state. The state information S_INF generated based on a digital signal with a reduced ENOB for low-power operation may not accurately represent the changed channel state due to the reduced ENOB. For example, when the channel state changes rapidly to a good state, even if high throughput is possible, the channel state may be estimated as poor due to the reduced ENOB. Therefore, in some embodiments, the state information S_INF may be generated for a cycle based on the high ENOB (e.g., maximum ENOB) of the digital signal. Figure 10 As shown, when the loop is reached, operation S24a can then be performed.

[0092] The operation of setting the maximum ENOB of the digital signal can be performed (S24a). For example, the baseband processor 160 can send the arrival of a cycle to the controller 180, and the controller 180 can generate a first control signal CTR1 and a second control signal CTR2 to make the ENOB of the digital signal maximum. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 180 can determine the arrival of a cycle and generate the first control signal CTR1 and the second control signal CTR2 to make the ENOB of the digital signal maximum.

[0093] The operation of generating state information S_INF (S26a) can be performed. For example, the baseband processor 160 can estimate the channel by processing the RX baseband signal RX_BB and generate state information S_INF based on the estimated channel. Therefore, the channel state can be estimated with the ENOB of the digital signal unrestricted. In some embodiments, the baseband processor 160 can generate state information S_INF in response to the second control signal CTR2 generated by the controller 180, such that the ENOB of the digital signal becomes maximum.

[0094] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 The flowchart is shown Figure 4 The flowchart above shows an example of operation S40a. (Refer to the above...) Figure 4 The description is available. Figure 11 The operation of adjusting the ENOB digital signal is performed in operation S40a'. For example... Figure 11 As shown, operation S40a' may include multiple operations S42, S44, and S46. In some embodiments, operation 40a' may be performed by... Figure 1 The controller 180 in the middle executes, as follows, refer to Figure 1 illustrate Figure 11 .

[0095] The operation of obtaining the ENOB corresponding to the channel state can be performed (S42). For example, as referred to above. Figure 4 As described, controller 180 can obtain the ENOB corresponding to the channel state included in the status information S_INF by referring to ENOB data D40. (See above reference...) Figure 5A and Figure 5B As described, ENOB can decrease as channel conditions worsen.

[0096] An operation can be performed to add the obtained ENOB to at least one additional number of bits (S44). See above for reference. Figure 10 As described, the channel between BS 10 and UE 100 may change. Therefore, the state information S_INF may be inaccurate due to the ENOB adjusted for low-power operation. Therefore, controller 180 can apply a margin that accounts for changes in the channel state to low-power operation by adding at least one additional number of bits to the ENOB corresponding to the channel state. Next, the operation of generating control signals (S46) can be performed. For example, controller 180 can generate control signals (e.g., a first control signal CTR1 and a second control signal CTR2) based on the ENOB calculated in operation S44.

[0097] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 12 The flowchart illustrates an example of low-power operation performed in the baseband processor. In some embodiments, it is possible to... Figure 1 Execute in UE100 Figure 12 The method is as follows, refer to the following. Figure 1 illustrate Figure 12 .

[0098] The operation of selecting an algorithm based on channel state can be performed (S40b). In some embodiments, the baseband processor 160 can implement multiple interchangeable algorithms. These multiple algorithms can have different complexities, performance, and power consumption. For example, the baseband processor 160 can perform demodulation of the baseband signal based on one of the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) algorithm and the least squares (LS) algorithm. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processor 160 can perform decoding of the baseband signal based on one of the list decoding algorithm and the general decoding algorithm. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processor 160 can perform multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detection based on one of the maximum likelihood (ML) algorithm, the matched filter (MF) algorithm, and the minimum mean square error (MMSE) algorithm. The LMMSE algorithm, the list decoding algorithm, and the ML algorithm described above can provide relatively high performance, but also result in relatively high power consumption. Additionally or alternatively, the LS algorithm, the general decoding algorithm, and the MF algorithm (or the MMSE algorithm) described above can provide relatively low performance while offering low power consumption.

[0099] In response to a second control signal CTR2 enabling low-power operation, the baseband processor 160 may select an algorithm from a plurality of algorithms that provides relatively low performance and low power consumption. Additionally or alternatively, in response to a second control signal CTR2 disabling low-power operation, the baseband processor 160 may select an algorithm from a plurality of algorithms that provides relatively high performance and high power consumption. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, in response to the second control signal CTR2 enabling low-power operation, the baseband processor 160 may reduce the number of near-constellation points in modulation based on the ML algorithm.

[0100] Operations based on the selected algorithm can be performed to process the baseband signal (S80b). For example, the baseband processor 160 can demodulate and / or decode the baseband signal based on the algorithm selected in operation S40b.

[0101] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication method according to an exemplary embodiment of a concept in accordance with the present invention. In some embodiments, Figure 13 The method can be derived from Figure 1 The backend module BE in the system is executed. For example... Figure 13 As shown, Figure 13 The wireless communication method may include operations S10 and S30, as described below, referring to Figure 1 describe Figure 13 And in reference Figure 13 The description has already referred to Figure 2 The repeated descriptions given have been omitted.

[0102] The operation of generating connection information C_INF regarding the wireless communication connection can be performed (S10). For example, the baseband processor 160 can generate connection information C_INF regarding the connection between BS 10 and UE 100 by processing baseband signals. UE 100 may have various connection states depending on the situation, such as connected state, idle state, DRX state, initial access state, etc., and the baseband processor 160 can generate connection information C_INF based on the connection state.

[0103] The wireless communication system 5 can define signal processing methods of varying complexity based on the connection state. For example, the wireless communication system 5 can define low-complexity signal processing methods for connection states that do not require high throughput (e.g., a call), idle state, DRX state, and initial connection states (e.g., low modulation order). In connection states where low-complexity signal processing methods are applied, the performance provided by the transceiver 140 and / or the baseband processor 160 may be excessive. Therefore, the connection information C_INF, which indicates the connection state, can be used to determine whether low-power operation is enabled.

[0104] Operation (S30) can be performed to enable low-power operation with low processing complexity. For example, based on the connection information C_INF provided by the baseband processor 160, the controller 180 can enable low-power operation with a first processing complexity less than the second processing complexity. For example, as referred to above. Figure 6 As described above, controller 180 can generate a first control signal CTR1 and a second control signal CTR2 with a first processing complexity less than the second processing complexity to reduce the ENOB of the digital signal. In some embodiments, one of a plurality of low-power operations corresponding to different power consumptions can be selected based on the connection state indicated by connection information C_INF, and the selected low-power operation can be enabled.

[0105] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating a data processor 600 according to an example embodiment. In some embodiments, Figure 14 The data processor 600 may be included Figure 1 In the backend module BE, and Figure 1 The baseband processor 160 and / or controller 180 may be implemented in the data processor 600. Referring hereafter... Figure 1 describe Figure 14 .

[0106] like Figure 14As shown, the data processor 600 may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 610, an application-specific instruction set processor (ASIP) 630, a memory 650, a main processor 670, and a main memory 690. In some embodiments, two or more of the ASIC 610, ASIP 630, and main processor 670 may communicate with each other. Furthermore, in some embodiments, at least two or more of the ASIC 610, ASIP 630, memory 650, main processor 670, and main memory 690 may be embedded in a single chip.

[0107] ASIP 630 may be an application-specific integrated circuit that supports a dedicated instruction set for a particular application and executes instructions contained within that dedicated instruction set. Memory 650 may communicate with ASIP 630 and may store multiple instructions executed by ASIP 630 as non-volatile memory. For example, memory 650 may include any type of memory accessible to ASIP 630, such as, as non-limiting examples, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, memory 650 may store the above-mentioned references Figure 4 , Figure 5A , Figure 5B The ENOB data D40 is described in the following way.

[0108] The main processor 670 can control communication devices such as UE 100 by executing multiple instructions. For example, the main processor 670 can control ASIC 610 and ASIP 630, and can also process user input to UE 100. The main memory 690 can communicate with the main processor 670 and includes any type of memory accessible to the main processor 670. In some embodiments, the main memory 690 can store multiple instructions executed by the main processor 670 as a non-transitory storage device.

[0109] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication may be comprised of [a method / mechanism]. Figure 14 At least one component in the data processor 600 performs the operation. For example, Figure 1At least some operations of the baseband processor 160 and / or controller 180 can be implemented as a plurality of instructions stored in memory 650, and ASIP 630 can perform at least one operation of a method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication by executing the plurality of instructions stored in memory 650. In some embodiments, at least one operation of a method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication can be executed by a hardware block designed by logic synthesis or the like, and such hardware block can be included in ASIC 610. In some embodiments, at least one operation of a method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication can be implemented as a plurality of instructions stored in main memory 690. Main processor 670 can perform at least one operation of a method for controlling power consumption in wireless communication by executing the plurality of instructions stored in main memory 690.

[0110] Figure 15 This is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a UE 700 according to the concept of the present invention. Figure 15 As shown, UE 700 may include a first RF module 710 to a fourth RF module 740 as a front-end module FE, and may include an intermediate frequency (IF) module 750 and a data processor 760 as a back-end module BE. When compared with... Figure 1 When comparing UE 100 in the middle, Figure 15 The UE 700 may have an IF signal that is between the RF signal and the baseband signal.

[0111] Each of the first RF modules 710 to the fourth RF modules 740 may include an antenna and a transceiver, and may communicate with the IF module 750. For example, as Figure 15 As shown, the first RF module 710 to the fourth RF module 740 can use the IF module 750 to send or receive the first IF signal IF1 to the fourth IF signal IF4. The transceiver included in each of the first RF module 710 to the fourth RF module 740 may include a mixer that generates an RF signal by up-converting the IF signal and a mixer that generates an IF signal by down-converting the RF signal.

[0112] The IF module 750 can generate a baseband signal BB by processing the first IF signal IF1 to the fourth IF signal IF4, and generate the first IF signal IF1 to the fourth IF signal IF4 by processing the baseband signal BB. The IF module 750 may include a mixer for down-converting the first IF signal IF1 to the fourth IF signal IF4 and a mixer for up-converting the baseband signal BB.

[0113] The data processor 760 can process baseband signal BB. For example... Figure 15 As shown, in some embodiments, the data processor 760 may include Figure 1The baseband processor 160 and controller 180 in the system can generate first control signals CTR11 to fifth control signals CTR15 to enable or disable low-power operation based on status information S_INF and connection information C_INF. For example... Figure 15 As shown, the first RF module 710 to the fourth RF module 740 can respectively receive the first control signal CTR11 to the fourth control signal CTR14, and can respectively perform low-power operation based on the first control signal CTR11 to the fourth control signal CTR14. Additionally or alternatively, the IF module 750 can receive the fifth control signal CTR15 and can perform low-power operation based on the fifth control signal CTR15 that enables low-power operation.

[0114] Although the inventive concept has been specifically shown and described with reference to its embodiments, it will be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication, the device comprising: A baseband processor configured to receive digital signals as baseband signals and generate state information about the channel of the wireless communication by processing the baseband signals; as well as The controller is configured to generate a control signal enabling low-power operation based on the state information in a first channel state that is worse than the second channel state. The controller is configured to adjust the effective number of bits of the digital signal based on the state information, and the control signal enabling the low-power operation includes a control signal that reduces the effective number of bits of the digital signal. The baseband processor is configured to omit processing of at least one least significant bit of the digital signal in response to a control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising: An analog-to-digital converter is configured to convert an analog signal generated from a signal received through the channel into a digital signal.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein, The analog-to-digital converter is configured to omit the operation of generating at least one least significant bit of the digital signal in response to a control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal.

4. The device according to claim 2, further comprising: An interface circuit is configured to send digital signals from the analog-to-digital converter to the baseband processor. The interface circuit is configured to omit the transmission of at least one least significant bit of the digital signal in response to a control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein, The interface circuit includes: At least one signal line; A transmitting circuit configured to generate a first signal by removing at least one least significant bit of the digital signal in response to a control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal, and to transmit the first signal through the at least one signal line; and A receiving circuit is configured to generate a second signal by cascading at least one bit to the received signal in response to a control signal that reduces the effective number of bits of the digital signal, and to provide the second signal to the baseband processor via the at least one signal line.

6. The device according to claim 2, wherein, The baseband processor further includes a clock gating circuit configured to block clock signals provided to circuitry configured to process at least one least significant bit of the baseband signal in response to a control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal.

7. The device according to claim 2, wherein, The baseband processor further includes a fill circuit configured to set at least one least significant bit of the baseband signal to a specific value in response to a control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal.

8. The device according to claim 2, wherein, The controller is configured to obtain a first number of effective bits corresponding to the first channel state and generate a control signal to enable the low-power operation such that the number of effective bits of the digital signal matches the sum of the first number of effective bits and at least one additional number of bits.

9. The device according to claim 2, wherein, The controller is configured to generate a control signal that enables the generation of the state information, such that the effective number of bits of the digital signal periodically reaches its maximum, and The baseband processor is configured to generate the status information in response to a control signal that enables the generation of the status information.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The baseband processor is configured to process baseband signals based on a first algorithm instead of a second algorithm in response to a control signal that enables the low-power operation, wherein the communication performance and power consumption of the first algorithm are lower than those of the second algorithm.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The status information includes at least one of the following: signal-to-noise ratio, signal-to-interference-to-noise ratio, reference signal received power, channel quality indicator index, and modulation and coding scheme index.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The baseband processor is also configured to generate connection information about the wireless communication connection by processing the baseband signals, and The controller is configured to enable the low-power operation based on the connection information with a first processing complexity of the baseband signal that is less than the second processing complexity of the baseband signal.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein, The connection information includes information about at least one of the following: connection state, idle state, discontinuous reception state, and initial access state.

14. A method for wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, the wireless communication device including a baseband processor and a controller, the method comprising: The baseband processor receives digital signals as baseband signals and processes the baseband signals to generate channel state information about the wireless communication. The controller generates a control signal to enable low-power operation based on the state information in a first channel state that is worse than the second channel state. The control signal to enable low-power operation includes a control signal to reduce the effective number of bits of the digital signal. as well as The baseband processor, in response to a control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal, omits processing of at least one least significant bit of the digital signal.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The wireless communication device further includes an analog-to-digital converter, and the method further includes: the analog-to-digital converter converts an analog signal generated from a signal received through the channel into a digital signal.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The baseband processor generates connection information about the wireless communication connection by processing the baseband signal; as well as The controller enables the low-power operation based on the connection information with a first processing complexity of the baseband signal that is less than the second processing complexity of the baseband signal.

17. A device for wireless communication, comprising: An analog-to-digital converter configured to convert an analog signal generated from a signal received from the channel of the wireless communication into a digital signal; A baseband processor configured to generate state information about the channel by processing the digital signal; as well as The controller is configured to generate a control signal enabling low-power operation based on the state information in a first channel state that is worse than the second channel state. The controller is configured to adjust the number of effective bits of the digital signal based on the state information, and the control signal enabling the low-power operation includes a control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal. The baseband processor is configured to omit the processing of at least one least significant bit of the digital signal in response to the control signal that reduces the number of effective bits of the digital signal.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein, The baseband processor also generates connection information about the wireless communication connection by processing the digital signal, and The controller also adjusts the effective number of bits based on the connection information.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The controller is configured to generate a control signal based on the connection information with a first processing complexity of the digital signal that is less than the second processing complexity of the digital signal, thereby reducing the effective number of bits.

Images