System recovery of energy budget

Abstract

The present invention relates to energy budget system recovery. The present disclosure relates to energy budget cellular service recovery techniques. A wireless device may determine one or more energy budgets for service recovery. It may be determined that a cellular service loss is currently occurring. Cellular service recovery may be attempted, wherein a service recovery scan timing for the attempted cellular service recovery is determined at least in part based on the one or more energy budgets for service recovery.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 201811006630.4, application date August 31, 2018, and invention name “System recovery of energy budget”. Technical Field

[0002] This patent application relates to wireless communications, including techniques for wireless devices to perform system recovery according to one or more energy budgets. Background Art

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly.In addition, wireless communication technology has evolved from only voice communication to also include the transmission of data (such as the Internet and multimedia content).

[0004] Mobile electronic devices may take the form of smartphones or tablets that users typically carry. Wearable devices (also known as accessory devices) are a newer form of mobile electronic device, one example of which is a smartwatch. Typically, compared to larger portable devices such as smartphones and tablets, wearable devices have relatively limited wireless communication capabilities and typically have smaller batteries. It is often desirable to reduce the power requirements of communication devices. Therefore, improvements in this area are desirable. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of systems, apparatus, and methods are presented herein, inter alia, for a wireless device to perform system recovery according to one or more energy budgets.

[0006] The wireless device may be a device with a limited link budget, for example, due to device design constraints, such as an accessory device with a relatively limited communication range. Due to the relatively limited communication range of the wireless device, the cellular communication service coverage of the wireless device may not be as extensive as that of many other wireless devices, which in turn may cause the wireless device to experience loss of cellular service more commonly than wireless devices with a greater communication range.

[0007] Recovering from a loss of cellular service is typically a power-intensive process, but battery power is generally a limited resource for wireless devices (and particularly for devices with limited link budgets), so managing the power consumption caused by cellular service recovery operations may be desirable. Techniques for managing cellular service recovery operations within one or more energy budgets can help support any desired balance between maintaining service availability and maintaining battery power / life. Such techniques may be particularly useful for wireless devices in cellular communication service coverage areas that may be expected to have more frequent coverage gaps than other wireless devices, as such wireless devices may more frequently experience radio link failures and no-service conditions.

[0008] Thus, techniques for managing cellular service recovery operations within one or more energy budgets are described herein. The energy budget may include a periodic (e.g., hourly) energy budget, a per-search / scan energy budget, and / or any of a variety of other budgets. Cellular service recovery operations (such as searching for available cells within communication range) may be performed at intervals selected based on the available energy within the energy budget being followed and based on the power consumption expected for a given cellular service recovery operation. If desired, the scope of cellular service recovery operations performed at a given time (e.g., the number of frequencies / bands scanned, the length of time spent scanning) may also or alternatively be selected based at least in part on the energy budget being followed. As another possibility, the energy budget being followed may be selected based at least in part on the scope of the planned cellular service recovery operations.

[0009] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including, but not limited to, cellular telephones, tablet computers, accessory and / or wearable computing devices, portable media players, cellular base stations and other cellular network infrastructure equipment, servers, and any of a variety of other computing devices.

[0010] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. It should be understood, therefore, that the features described above are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, accompanying drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of the embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system including an accessory device according to some embodiments is shown.

[0013] Figure 2 An exemplary system is shown in which an accessory device can selectively communicate directly with a cellular base station or utilize the cellular capabilities of an intermediary or proxy device, such as a smartphone, to communicate directly with a cellular base station, according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless device according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary base station according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 5 shows possible example coverage scenarios for a smartphone and a smartwatch according to some embodiments;

[0017] Figures 6 and 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for a wireless device to perform energy budget system recovery according to some embodiments;

[0018] Figures 8 and 9 is a diagram illustrating possible energy budgets that may be used in conjunction with energy budget system recovery techniques according to some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 10 illustrates possible techniques for determining when to perform the next system recovery scan according to a set energy budget, according to some embodiments;

[0020] Figure 11 illustrates possible techniques for determining an energy budget set that may be used in conjunction with energy budget system recovery techniques, according to some embodiments; and

[0021] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating how various parameters of a possible energy budget system restoration algorithm may vary over time, according to some embodiments.

[0022] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] the term

[0024] The following are definitions of terms used in this disclosure:

[0025] Memory medium - any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, for example, hard drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or a combination thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in the first computer system that executes the program, or may be located in a second, different computer system that is connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., expressed as a computer program) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0026] Carrier Medium—storage media as described above, and physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0027] Programmable hardware elements - include various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPOAs (field programmable object arrays), and CPLDs (complex PLDs). Programmable function blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinatorial logic components or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic."

[0028] Computer system - any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device, or combination of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0029] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smart phones (e.g., iPhones TM , based on Android TMphones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices or other handheld devices, etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) that can be easily transported by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0030] Wireless Device - Any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device may be portable (or mobile), or may be fixed or fixed at a certain location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0031] Communication device - Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication can be wired or wireless. A communication device can be portable (or mobile), or fixed or stationary at a location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0032] Base Station - The term "base station" (also referred to as "eNB") has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless cellular communication system.

[0033] Link budget limited - includes the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least the characteristic of a wireless device (UE) that exhibits limited communication capabilities or limited power relative to devices that are not link budget limited or relative to devices for which a radio access technology (RAT) standard has been developed. A link budget limited UE may experience relatively limited reception and / or transmission capabilities, which may be due to one or more factors, such as device design, device size, battery size, antenna size or design, transmission power, reception power, current transmission medium conditions, and / or other factors. Such devices may be referred to herein as "link budget limited" (or "link budget constrained") devices. A device may be inherently link budget limited due to the size of the device, battery power, and / or transmission / reception power. For example, a smartwatch communicating with a base station via LTE or LTE-A may be inherently link budget limited due to its reduced transmission / reception power and / or antenna reduction. Wearable devices such as smartwatches are generally link budget limited devices. Alternatively, a device may not be inherently link budget limited, e.g., may have sufficient size, battery power, and / or transmit / receive power for normal communication over LTE or LTE-A, but may be temporarily link budget limited due to current communication conditions, e.g., a smartphone at a cell edge, etc. It is noted that the term "link budget limited" includes or encompasses power limitations, and thus a link-limited device may be considered a link budget limited device.

[0034] Processing element (or processor) refers to various elements or combinations of elements. Processing elements include, for example, circuits such as ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, individual processors, programmable hardware devices such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or larger portions of systems including multiple processors.

[0035] Automatically refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without requiring user input to directly specify or execute the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to manually performing or specifying an action by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process may be initiated by input provided by a user, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing in information, selecting checkboxes, selecting radio components, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without requiring any user input to specify the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user can invoke the automatic filling of a form without participating in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields, but rather they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions that a user has taken.

[0036] Configured to - Various components may be described as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured to" is a broad expression that generally means "having a structure" to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently performing the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad expression that generally means "having a circuit" to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently turned on. Generally, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include hardware circuitry.

[0037] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to." Representing a component as being configured to perform one or more tasks expressly does not invoke the interpretation of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, for that component.

[0038] Figure 1-Figure 2 -Wireless communication system

[0039] Figure 1 An embodiment of a wireless cellular communication system is illustrated. It should be noted that Figure 1This represents one possibility among many, and the features of the present disclosure may be implemented by any of a variety of systems as desired. For example, the embodiments described herein may be implemented in any type of wireless device. The wireless embodiment described below is an exemplary embodiment.

[0040] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a cellular base station 102 that communicates over a transmission medium with one or more wireless devices 106A, 106B, etc., and an accessory device 107. Wireless device 106A, wireless device 106B, and wireless device 107 may be user equipment, which may be referred to herein as "user equipment" (UE) or UE devices.

[0041] Base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site and may include hardware that enables wireless communications with UE devices 106A, 106B, and 107. Base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among other possibilities). Thus, base station 102 may facilitate communications between UE devices 106 and 107 and / or between UE 106 / 107 and network 100. In other implementations, base station 102 may be configured to provide communications via one or more other wireless technologies, such as an access point supporting one or more WLAN protocols, such as 802.11a, b, g, n, ac, ad, and / or ax, or LTE in the unlicensed band (LAA).

[0042] The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station 102 may be referred to as a “cell.” The base station 102 and the UEs 106 / 107 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) or wireless communication technologies, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TDS-CDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc.

[0043] Thus, base station 102 and other similar base stations (not shown) operating according to one or more cellular communication technologies can be provided as a cell network that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE devices 106A-N and 107 and similar devices within a geographic area via one or more cellular communication technologies.

[0044] It should be noted that, at least in some cases, UE devices 106 / 107 may be capable of communicating using any of a variety of wireless communication technologies. For example, UE devices 106 / 107 may be configured to communicate using one or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A, NR, WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication technologies (including more than two wireless communication technologies) are also possible. Likewise, in some cases, UE devices 106 / 107 may be configured to communicate using only a single wireless communication technology.

[0045] UE 106A and UE 106B may comprise handheld devices such as smartphones or tablets, and / or may comprise any of various types of devices with cellular communication capabilities. For example, one or more of UE 106A and UE 106B may be wireless devices intended for static or dynamic deployment, such as appliances, measurement devices, control devices, etc. UE 106B may be configured to communicate with a UE device 107, which may be referred to as an accessory device 107. Accessory device 107 may be any of various types of wireless devices, which may typically be wearable devices with a smaller form factor and limited battery, output power, and / or communication capabilities relative to UE 106. As a common embodiment, UE 106B may be a smartphone carried by a user, and accessory device 107 may be a smartwatch worn by the same user. UE 106B and accessory device 107 may communicate using any of various short-range communication protocols, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

[0046] UE 106B may also be configured to communicate with UE 106A. For example, UE 106A and UE 106B may be able to perform direct device-to-device (D2D) communications. D2D communications may be supported by cellular base station 102 (e.g., BS 102 may facilitate discovery, as well as various possible forms of assistance), or may be performed in a manner not supported by BS 102. For example, UE 106A and UE 106B may be able to arrange and perform D2D communications (e.g., including D2D discovery communications) even when BS 102 and other cellular base stations have no coverage.

[0047] The accessory device 107 includes cellular communication capabilities and is thus capable of communicating directly with the cellular base station 102. However, because the accessory device 107 may be one or more communication, output power, and / or battery limited, the accessory device 107 may, in some circumstances, selectively utilize the UE 106B as a proxy for communication purposes with the base station 102 and, thereby, the network 100. In other words, the accessory device 107 may selectively use the cellular communication capabilities of its companion device (e.g., UE 106B) for its cellular communications. The limitation on the communication capabilities of the accessory device 107 may be permanent, such as due to limitations in output power or supported radio access technologies (RATs), or temporary, such as due to various conditions such as current battery status, inability to access the network, or poor reception.

[0048] Figure 2 An exemplary accessory device 107 is illustrated in communication with base station 102. Accessory device 107 may be a wearable device such as a smartwatch. Accessory device 107 may include cellular communication capabilities and may be capable of communicating directly with base station 102 as shown. When accessory device 107 is configured to communicate directly with a base station, the accessory device is said to be in "autonomous mode."

[0049] The accessory device 107 may also be capable of communicating with another device (e.g., UE 106), referred to as a proxy device, an intermediary device, or a companion device, using a short-range communication protocol; for example, according to some embodiments, the accessory device 107 may be "paired" with the UE 106. In some cases, the accessory device 107 may use the cellular functionality of the proxy device to communicate cellular voice / data with the base station 102. In other words, the accessory device 107 may provide voice / data packets intended for the base station 102 to the UE 106 over a short-range link, and the UE 106 may use its cellular functionality to transmit (or relay) the voice / data packets to the base station on behalf of the accessory device 107. Similarly, voice / data packets transmitted by the base station and intended for the accessory device 107 may be received by the cellular functionality of the UE 106 and then relayed to the accessory device over the short-range link. As noted above, the UE 106 may be a mobile phone, a tablet, or any other type of handheld device, a media player, a computer, a laptop, or virtually any type of wireless device. When the accessory device 107 is configured to communicate indirectly with a base station using the cellular functionality of an intermediary or proxy device, the accessory device is said to be in "relay mode."

[0050] UE 106 and / or UE 107 may include a device or integrated circuit called a cellular modem for facilitating cellular communications. The cellular modem may include one or more processors (processor elements) and various hardware components as described herein. UE 106 and / or UE 107 may perform any of the method implementations described herein by executing instructions on one or more programmable processors. Alternatively or in addition, the one or more processors may be one or more programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or other circuitry configured to perform any of the method implementations described herein or any part of any of the method implementations described herein. The cellular modem described herein may be used in a UE device as defined herein, a wireless device as defined herein, or a communication device as defined herein. The cellular modem described herein may also be used in a base station or other similar network-side device.

[0051] UE 106 and / or 107 may include one or more antennas for communicating using two or more wireless communication protocols or radio access technologies. In some embodiments, UE devices 106 / 107 may be configured to communicate using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna, or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Alternatively, UE devices 106 / 107 may include two or more radio components. Other configurations are also possible.

[0052] Accessory device 107 can be any of a variety of types of devices, any of which, in some embodiments, has a smaller form factor than a conventional smartphone and may have one or more of limited communication capabilities, limited output power, or limited battery life relative to a conventional smartphone. As noted above, in some embodiments, accessory device 107 is a smartwatch or other type of wearable device. As another example, accessory device 107 can be a tablet device such as an iPad with WiFi capabilities (and potentially limited cellular communication capabilities) that is not currently near a WiFi hotspot and therefore cannot currently communicate with the Internet via WiFi. Thus, as defined above, the term "accessory device" refers to any of a variety of types of devices that, in some cases, have limited or reduced communication capabilities and that can, therefore, selectively and opportunistically utilize UE 106 as a proxy for communication purposes of one or more applications and / or RATs. As previously described, when UE 106 is capable of being used as a proxy by accessory device 107, UE 106 can be referred to as a companion device to accessory device 107.

[0053] Figure 3 -Exemplary block diagram of a UE device

[0054] Figure 3 A possible block diagram of a UE device, such as UE device 106 or 107, is shown. As shown, UE device 106 / 107 may include a system-on-chip (SOC) 300, which may include components for various purposes. For example, as shown, SOC 300 may include display circuitry 304, which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to display 360, and one or more processors 302, which may execute program instructions for UE device 106 / 107. SOC 300 may also include motion sensing circuitry 370, which may detect motion of UE 106 using, for example, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and / or any of various other motion sensing components. Processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from one or more processors 302 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306 and read-only memory (ROM) 350, flash memory 310). MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of one or more processors 302 .

[0055] As shown, the SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106 / 107. For example, the UE 106 / 107 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, etc.), a display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.).

[0056] The UE device 106 / 107 may include at least one antenna and, in some embodiments, may include multiple antennas 335a and 335b for performing wireless communications with a base station and / or other devices. For example, the UE device 106 / 107 may use antennas 335a and 335b to perform wireless communications. As noted above, the UE device 106 / 107 may, in some embodiments, be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards or radio access technologies (RATs).

[0057] Wireless communication circuitry 330 may include Wi-Fi logic 332, a cellular modem 334, and Bluetooth logic 336. Wi-Fi logic 332 is configured to enable UE device 106 / 107 to perform Wi-Fi communications via an 802.11 network. Bluetooth logic 336 is configured to enable UE device 106 / 107 to perform Bluetooth communications. Cellular modem 334 may be a relatively low-power cellular modem capable of performing cellular communications according to one or more cellular communication technologies.

[0058] As described herein, the UE 106 / 107 may include hardware components and software components for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, one or more components of the wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., Wi-Fi logic 332, cellular modem 334, BT logic 336) of the UE device 106 / 107 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), a processor configured as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), and / or a processor using dedicated hardware components that may include an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

[0059] Figure 4 -Block diagram of a base station

[0060] Figure 4 An example block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 4 The base station 102 is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include one or more processors 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The one or more processors 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 404 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450)) or other circuits or devices.

[0061] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As described in , the network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide a plurality of devices, such as the UE devices 106 / 107 , with access to the telephone network.

[0062] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured or alternatively configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices, such as UE devices 106 / 107. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0063] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. One or more antennas 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE devices 106 / 107 via radio 430. One or more antennas 434 communicate with radio 430 via communication chain 432. Communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. Radio 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless telecommunication standards, including but not limited to LTE, LTE-A, NR, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0064] Base station 102 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for communicating according to LTE and a Wi-Fi radio component for communicating according to Wi-Fi. In this case, base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a Wi-Fi access point. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of communicating according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0065] As further described later herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. The processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the implementations of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, the processor 404 of BS 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein or support some or all of the implementations of the features described herein.

[0066] Figures 5 and 6 -Exemplary coverage scenarios and flow charts

[0067] Figure 5 A possible example of a coverage scenario for smart phones and smart watches according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, a base station 502 can provide cells for a variety of wireless devices (including various smart phones 506 and various smart watches 507). Such different types of devices may have different characteristics that result in different effective communication ranges. Therefore, as shown, the effective watch cell range 510 can be smaller than the effective smart phone cell range 520. Therefore, although all the illustrated smart phones (506A, 506B, 506C, 506D, 506E) can be within the communication range of the base station 502 and therefore can be able to receive cellular communication services from the cell, only one (507A) of the illustrated smart watches can be within the communication range of the base station 502, and the remaining illustrated smart watches (507B, 507C, 507D) can be outside the communication range of the base station 502. Unless there are one or more other cells within the range of these smart watches 507B-D, they may not be able to obtain cellular communication services and therefore may experience cellular service loss.

[0068] Thus, since cellular base station deployments can, at least in some cases, be arranged to provide effective cellular communication coverage for smartphones and other devices with similar cellular communication ranges, devices such as Figure 5 The coverage scenario shown in may lead to more common radio link failure and no-service events for smartwatches and / or other devices with less than average cellular communication range (e.g., link budget-limited devices).

[0069] When a wireless device experiences a loss of service (e.g., entering a state of no service or limited service), the wireless device may typically attempt to perform a system recovery to restore cellular service. This may include, as one possibility, a telescoping scan mode with a statically configured sleep interval. In some cases, the selection of a particular inter-scan sleep interval may also be based on the device's motion state at that moment. For example, a larger sleep interval may be used for slower motion states (e.g., stationary motion states) compared to faster motion states (e.g., walking or driving motion states).

[0070] However, attempting to regain cellular communication service when a loss of cellular communication service occurs can be highly power intensive. If the battery consumption incurred during the service recovery scan is not tracked, there may be no upper limit on the energy allocated for the scan, and a specific power budget cannot be allocated for the scan in a guaranteed manner. As previously mentioned, in many cases, in addition to potentially having a relatively limited cellular communication range, many link budget limited devices may also be relatively power constrained. For example, many wearable devices may have a relatively small battery reserve capacity, for example, due to their wearable form factor and / or other design considerations. Therefore, ensuring a specific battery life regardless of the possible range of RF coverage conditions and possible system recovery scenarios that the wireless device may experience can be challenging, but may be considered important in at least some cases.

[0071] Therefore, at least in some cases, techniques that take battery power into account as a limited resource when attempting system recovery may have particularly significant benefits on such link-budget-constrained devices. Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for a wireless device (e.g., an accessory device) to perform energy budget system recovery according to some embodiments. It is noted that while such use of one or more energy budgets to potentially limit power consumption from cellular service recovery activities may be particularly advantageous for devices with limited link budgets, it should be noted that such techniques may also be beneficial for non-link budget limited wireless devices (e.g., including wireless devices with larger cellular communication ranges, such as Figure 5 Therefore, it should be noted that if necessary, Figure 6 Any or all aspects of the method may also or alternatively be used in conjunction with such an apparatus.

[0072] therefore, Figure 6 Aspects of the method may be performed by a wireless device (such as a Figures 1 to 3 Shown in and relative to Figures 1 to 3 The present invention may be implemented by the UE 106 or 107 described above, or more generally, may be implemented in combination with any of the computer systems or devices shown in the above figures in addition to other devices as needed.

[0073] In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed simultaneously in an order different from the order shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, the method may be operated as follows.

[0074] According to some embodiments, the wireless device may be an accessory device, such as a smartwatch, paired with a smartphone as a companion device. The wireless device may be paired with the companion device using one or more short-range wireless communication technologies. Pairing the accessory device with the companion device may create a link between the devices, enabling the devices to communicate wirelessly when within communication range of each other. According to some embodiments, the pairing relationship between the devices may optionally additionally include or enable one or more additional features, such as any or all of one or more shared settings, user profiles and / or accounts, data synchronization between the devices, and the like.

[0075] According to some embodiments, the wireless device and the companion device may be able to communicate with each other using any or all of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, near field communication (NFC), and / or any of a variety of other possible short-range communication protocols. Additionally, according to some embodiments, each of the wireless device and the companion device may be capable of performing cellular communications.

[0076] While each of the wireless device and the companion device may be capable of communicating according to a variety of wireless communication technologies, according to at least some embodiments, the wireless device may have different characteristics than the companion device that may affect their respective preferred usage patterns and relationships. For example, as described above, as one possibility, the wireless device may be a smartwatch (or other wearable device) while the companion device may be a smartphone, and the wireless device may have more limited battery capacity and degraded antenna performance relative to the companion device.

[0077] Alternatively, the wireless device may be a standalone device (or at least operate in a standalone mode), e.g., such that the wireless device is not currently paired with a companion device, if desired.

[0078] At 602, the wireless device may determine one or more energy budgets for system recovery. Determining the one or more energy budgets may also be referred to as selecting an energy budget set. Selecting an energy budget set may include selecting which of a plurality of possible energy budgets to use when performing system recovery and / or selecting parameters for each selected energy budget.

[0079] The energy budget set may be selected based on a variety of possible considerations. As one possible consideration, a wireless device may use multiple different possible scan ranges at various times, and the wireless device's current scan range context or state may influence the energy budget set used by the wireless device (e.g., because different scan ranges may generally have different energy consumption characteristics). In some cases, the wireless device's scan range may in turn depend on how well the wireless device knows its location. For example, different scan ranges (and possible energy budget sets) may be selected based on whether the wireless device knows the most recently used cell, does not know the most recently used cell but knows the country the wireless device is currently in (e.g., a mobile country code or MCC), or does not know its location at all. As another possible consideration, the wireless device may select an energy budget set to use at a given time based at least in part on the wireless device's current battery level / reserve. For example, different energy budget sets may be selected for different battery level ranges. Other considerations are also possible.

[0080] Each energy budget may have various parameters associated with it, each of which may be variable or constant over time. An aspect of each energy budget may include the conditions or times at which the energy budget is triggered. For example, an energy budget for managing the average power consumption during each occurrence of a cellular service recovery scenario may be triggered such that the T=0 condition triggering the use of the energy budget may occur upon entering the cellular service recovery scenario. As another example, an energy budget for managing the total energy consumption of cellular service recovery activities over a periodic time window (e.g., where each window may include multiple cellular service recovery scenarios) may be triggered such that the T=0 condition triggering the use of the energy budget may occur when the wireless device is powered on, and may occur at each subsequent periodic interval based on the size of the periodic time window for which the energy budget is targeted, for example until the wireless device is powered off. As another possibility, if desired, an energy budget for managing the total number of cellular service recovery scans performed over a given time period may also or alternatively be used.

[0081] The wireless device may determine that a cellular service restoration scenario is occurring in 604. Among various possible scenarios, the cellular service restoration scenario may include a scenario in which cellular service is lost and the wireless device attempts to obtain any (e.g., limited or normal) service, or a scenario in which limited cellular service is available (e.g., from a carrier that supports emergency calls but does not provide other services, e.g., due to characteristics of the wireless device's cellular service subscription) and the wireless device attempts to obtain normal cellular service (e.g., from a carrier that provides voice, data, and / or other services according to the wireless device's cellular service subscription).

[0082] In some embodiments (e.g., in an out of service (OOS) scenario), determining that a cellular service recovery scenario is occurring may include determining that the wireless device has lost cellular communication service. For example, the signal strength of the cell to which the wireless device is attached (e.g., a serving cell) may have decreased (e.g., due to the wireless device moving away from the cell, increased interference, etc.), such that the wireless device is no longer able to communicate with the base station providing the cell, and the wireless device may not be aware of any suitable neighboring cells. Such a loss of cellular communication service occurring in idle mode may cause the wireless device to be OOS. A loss of cellular communication service occurring while in connected mode may trigger a radio link failure (RLF), in response to which certain RLF recovery procedures may be attempted. If successful, this may result in cellular service being restored (e.g., on the same serving cell from which cellular service was lost, or on another serving cell), while if unsuccessful, this may result in the connection being released and an OOS occurring.

[0083] At 606, the wireless device may attempt to restore / reacquire cellular communication service based on the determined energy budget. Based on the ongoing cellular service restoration scenario, the attempt to restore cellular service (which may also be referred to as attempting system recovery) may include performing one or more scans for cellular service. The timing of the one or more scans for cellular service may be determined at least in part based on the determined energy budget.

[0084] For example, for each corresponding energy budget of the selected energy budget set, a recommended next scan time can be determined so that the parameters of the corresponding energy budget are not violated. The recommended next scan time for each energy budget can be determined in any of a variety of possible ways. As a possibility, once triggered, each energy budget may include an energy supply over time and may include a minimum margin of energy supply balance that allows a service recovery scan, either or both of which may change over time if necessary. Based on the energy supply, the energy supply balance of the energy budget may accumulate over time. The earliest time at which the energy supply balance reaches the minimum margin of energy supply balance that allows a service recovery scan may be selected as the recommended next scan time for the energy budget.

[0085] Note that in such an arrangement, when a cellular service recovery scan is performed, the estimated energy consumption associated with the cellular service recovery scan may be subtracted from the energy budget's energy supply balance, which may affect the next recommended scan time for the energy budget. Additionally, in at least some cases, the estimated energy consumption associated with the sleep / power-down state prior to the cellular service recovery scan (e.g., since the energy budget's energy supply balance was previously calculated) may be subtracted from the energy budget's energy supply balance. As desired, the energy consumption associated with the cellular service recovery scan and / or the sleep state may be estimated in any of a variety of ways. As one possibility, the wireless device may have onboard hardware and / or software configured to measure the power consumption of the wireless device (or a specific portion of the wireless device), whereby the wireless device may directly estimate the energy consumption caused by the cellular service recovery scan and / or the sleep state based on measurements performed by the wireless device. As another possibility, the wireless device may store one or more models of power consumption resulting from various cellular service recovery activities / parameters (e.g., including sleep between scans) and may utilize the power consumption values ​​provided by the power consumption models for the cellular service recovery activities / parameters / durations covered by the cellular service recovery scan (e.g., duration of time spent in sleep during and before the scan, type / number of scans, whether it is a focused frequency scan or a full band blind scan, the RF environment of the wireless device, etc.) to estimate the energy consumption resulting from the cellular service recovery scan and / or sleep state. In this case, the power consumption model may be generated by the wireless device vendor or any other desired party, for example, based on external measurement, characterization, and modeling of energy consumption of the wireless device (or similar wireless devices) in various system recovery scenarios, or in any of a variety of other possible ways. Other energy consumption estimation techniques are also possible.

[0086] In order to meet all energy budgets in the energy budget set, it may be the case that the nearest recommended next scan time may be selected for performing the next scan for cellular service in the current cellular service recovery scenario. In some cases, a minimum interval between scans for cellular service (e.g., to ensure at least a minimum amount of temporal diversity between scans) and / or a maximum interval between scans for cellular service (e.g., to avoid excessive lengths of time without cellular service, possibly at the expense of staying within all energy budgets in the selected energy budget set) may provide additional constraints on the selection of the next scan for cellular service in the current cellular service recovery scenario. For example, in some embodiments, the next scan for cellular service in the current cellular service recovery scenario may be determined to be performed at a time that meets the configured minimum interval between scans if that time is later than any of the recommended times for performing the next scan according to the energy budget set. Similarly, in some embodiments, the next scan for cellular service in the current cellular service recovery scenario may be determined to be performed at a time that meets the configured maximum interval between scans if that time is earlier than at least one of the recommended times for performing the next scan according to the energy budget set. In such embodiments, the most recent time among the suggested times for performing the next scan based on the energy budget set may be selected as the time for performing the next scan for cellular service in the current cellular service recovery scenario if that time results in an interval since the previous scan for cellular service that is greater than or equal to the configured minimum interval between scans and if that time results in an interval since the previous scan for cellular service that is less than or equal to the configured maximum interval between scans.

[0087] Once the timing of the next scan for cellular service based on the current cellular service recovery scenario has been determined, the wireless device may perform the next scan for cellular service at the determined time. The scan may have any of a variety of possible scan ranges, for example, depending on the conditions in which the wireless device is operating. As previously described, according to some embodiments, the range of the out-of-service (OOS) and / or limited service scan may be selected based at least in part on historical service and / or location information (to the extent such information is available). For example, according to some embodiments, the acquisition database used to select cells to search for cellular service may be enhanced to include neighbor cell information of configured neighboring cells of the cell from which cellular service was lost, such that those configured neighboring cells of the cell from which cellular service was lost are included in the cells searched. Additionally (or alternatively, for example, if such information is unavailable or is deemed outdated), the parameters and / or scope of the attempt to restore cellular service may include consideration of the wireless device's current location (e.g., latitude / longitude coordinates from the wireless device's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module, the mobile country code of the nearest camped cell, etc.).

[0088] It should be noted that the motion state of the wireless device may also be considered in determining the scan range (and / or the energy budget for system recovery) if desired. For example, if the wireless device is moving rapidly, the expected recovery time between losing cellular service and regaining cellular service may be shortened, for example, if the wireless device is moving from the coverage area provided by the cell where the cellular service loss occurred to a cell where cellular service can be regained. If the wireless device is stationary or only moving slowly, the expected service recovery time may be longer. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the wireless device may determine the motion state of the wireless device, for example, using motion sensing circuitry such as one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, vibration sensors, and / or other motion sensing components that may be capable of sensing the magnitude and / or type of various types of motion, and may select cellular service recovery attempt characteristics based at least in part on the determined motion state. For example, as one possibility, one or more energy budget parameters may be selected such that more frequent scanning may be possible for faster motion states than for slower or stationary motion states.

[0089] Based on the first cellular service recovery scan in a given cellular service recovery scenario, the wireless device may successfully obtain cellular service (e.g., the scan may result in cellular service recovery), or may not be successful (e.g., the scan may not result in cellular service recovery). If the first scan results in cellular service recovery, the wireless device may exit the cellular service recovery scenario (e.g., which may result in ending one or more energy budgets, such as the energy budget per the recovery scenario) and begin or resume using the normal (or limited) cellular service that was obtained.

[0090] However, if the first scan does not result in cellular service restoration, the wireless device may determine a time for performing the next (e.g., second) scan for cellular service according to the cellular service restoration scenario. Similar to the first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service restoration scenario, the time for performing the second scan for cellular service may be determined at least in part based on the one or more energy budgets for cellular service restoration. For example, a suggested next scan time may be determined based on each of the energy budgets, and the latest of these suggested scan times may be selected as the time for performing the second scan according to the cellular service restoration scenario, possibly subject to configured minimum and / or maximum intervals between scans. Note that the estimated energy consumption of the first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service restoration scenario (and possibly also the estimated energy consumption during the preceding dormant state) may influence the selected scan time for the second scan, for example, because (as previously noted), each energy budget may have the estimated energy consumption of each scan subtracted from the energy budget's energy balance, which in turn may influence when the minimum energy balance allowing a scan is next reached for that budget, and thus may influence the next suggested scan time for that budget.

[0091] Thus, if the first scan does not result in cellular service being restored, the wireless device may perform a second scan for cellular service according to the cellular service restoration scenario at the time determined for performing the second scan for cellular service according to the cellular service restoration scenario. Similarly, the wireless device may continue to perform subsequent scans for cellular service at a timing selected at least in part based on the energy budget selected in the cellular service restoration scenario until cellular service is restored, and may similarly determine the timing of scans during subsequent cellular service restoration scenarios.

[0092] Note that, at least according to some embodiments, the wireless device can operate in a reduced power (e.g., dormant) state between the first scan and the second scan. For example, at least a portion of the cellular communication circuitry of the wireless device can be turned off or can operate in a reduced power state between scans for cellular services, e.g., to reduce power consumption of the wireless device during those times.

[0093] It should also be noted that the energy budget used (and / or the parameters of the selected energy budget) can be dynamically modified by the wireless device at any time. For example, if the conditions experienced by the wireless device change in a manner that is configured to affect which energy budget is used and / or affect the parameters of one or more budgets (e.g., the battery level drops below a threshold, the motion state of the wireless device changes, the location information becomes outdated thereby affecting the scan range, etc.), the energy budget selected for use by the wireless device and / or the parameters of the energy budget can then be changed to reflect the updated conditions. This, in turn, can also affect the scan timing of subsequent scans for cellular services performed by the wireless device.

[0094] Thus, a wireless device utilizing energy budget system recovery techniques may be able to proactively manage the power consumption of its system recovery activities, thereby controlling its scanning activities in a manner that simultaneously achieves one or more budgetary goals, for example, even though the cost of the scan may not be known until the scan is actually completed. According to at least some embodiments, such techniques may facilitate managing battery power, which may be a limited resource of the wireless device (e.g., when the wireless device is not connected to an external power source), and may allow the wireless device to guarantee a certain battery life in any of a variety of possible wireless coverage conditions, recognizing that this may be important to a wireless device user, at least in certain circumstances and / or for certain types of wireless devices.

[0095] Figures 7 to 12 -Additional Information

[0096] Figures 7 to 12 and its description is based on Figure 6 The present invention is provided by way of example of other possible techniques and details for use in combination with the method, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure as a whole. Many alternatives and variations of the details provided below are possible and should be considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0097] Figure 7 706-N, a corresponding start time suggestion 710-1...710-N for the next scan 'm+1' 714 may be determined. In decision 712, if the most recent suggested start time does not conflict with the configured minimum interval between scans (e.g., to provide at least a minimum amount of temporal diversity between scans) or the configured maximum interval between scans (e.g., to avoid excessive intervals between scans), the most recent suggested start time may be selected as the start time for scan 'm+1'. At the selected start time, the next scan m+1 714 may be performed.

[0098] Figure 7 The method can be repeated as needed, for example, to determine the scan timing at each occasion when a system recovery scan is desired. Depending on the needs, this occasion can occur to determine the scan timing of multiple scans within a single recovery timeline and / or across multiple recovery timelines.

[0099] The energy budget used to determine the set of suggested next scan times may be configured in any of a variety of ways, as desired. Figures 8 and 9 is a diagram illustrating two possible energy budgets that may be used following one possible budgeting algorithm according to some embodiments.

[0100] according to Figures 8 and 9 Each budget can be designed to include the power supply amount (A(t)) as a curve over time. This parameter can be statically configured (e.g., as Figures 8 and 9 t) or can be dynamically scaled based on various considerations, such as the motion state of the wireless device utilizing the energy budget. Each budget can also be designed to include a minimum margin (A_Credit_Min(t)) of supply credit that must have accumulated before the budget can authorize a scan at any time 't', where the accumulated credit over an interval Δt is the area under the graph A(t) for that interval.

[0101] Figure 8 An exemplary possible per-recovery power budget is shown, for example, where T=0 represents entry into the system recovery timeline. As shown, for this exemplary budget, the power supply may be relatively high for the initial portion of the system recovery timeline, then gradually decrease to a minimum level after a certain time, and finally become flat for the remainder of the system recovery timeline. In this example, A_Credit_Min(t) may be constant at 0 for the entire system recovery timeline.

[0102] Figure 9 An example possible hourly power budget is shown, for example, where T=0 represents the moment the device is powered on, and every hour thereafter. As shown, for this example budget, the amount of power supplied can be constant over the system recovery timeline. In contrast, in this example, A_Credit_Min(t) can be initially set to 0, but can decrease over time to a configured minimum level, then increase over time to a configured maximum level, and then decrease again back to the starting value. If desired, such changes in A_Credit_Min(t) can be used to change the cadence of scheduled scans during the recovery timeline.

[0103] Note that although Figures 8 and 9 The exemplary possible energy budgets of represent two possible energy budgets, but any number of different energy budgets (e.g., with different initialization conditions and / or power management targets) and / or different A(t) and / or A_Credit_Min(t) profiles may be used as desired.

[0104] Figure 101030 . Figure 10 1032). At each occasion when a suggested start time for the next system recovery scan is provided by each energy budget of the selected energy budget set, the nearest of those suggested start times may be selected in 1034, optionally bounded by a 'Min_Ts' value (e.g., to provide sufficient time diversity in the scan mode) and / or a 'Max_Ts' value (e.g., to ensure a known upper bound on the service recovery time should optimal RF conditions return).

[0105] As shown, at budget initialization 1002, the budget's A(t) and A_Credit_Min(t) curves may be determined. At 1004, 't_prev' and 'credit_bal@t_prev' may be set to 0. Credit_bal@t_prev may generally represent the supply balance at the time of the last calculation and recording, taking into account A(t) and the cost of the last scan (if any scan has been performed). T_prev may represent the time when credit_bal@t_prev was last calculated and recorded.

[0106] At 1006, information may be entered into the budget indicating that the scan was completed at 't_scan_end' (generally, the time at the end of the previous scan, or 0 for the first scan after the budget is initialized; this is also the time when the recommended time for the next scan may typically be calculated), with the indicated cost (generally representing the estimated energy cost of the last scan performed, possibly including the estimated energy cost of the sleep state preceding the last scan performed), or 0 for the first scan after the budget is initialized, because in this case, no scan has been performed since the budget was initialized).

[0107] At 1008, a determination may be made as to whether the scan discovered a system. For example, if a serving cell capable of providing the target service is found with sufficient strength to obtain service therefrom, the wireless device may perform system acquisition on that cell and attach to it. If this occurs, a determination may be made at 1010 as to whether budget exit criteria have been met. For example, if the budget is an energy budget per recovery timeline, successful system acquisition may be an exit criterion for the budget, in which case the budget exit criterion may have been met. If the budget exit criterion has been met, the budget may be ended at 1028. Note that in this case, the budget may be reinstantiated at a later time (e.g., upon initialization of the budget). However, if the budget exit criterion is not met by a successful system acquisition (e.g., if the budget is an hourly or other periodic energy budget), or if the scan did not result in service recovery (e.g., if the budget was just initialized and no scan has actually been performed since budget initialization), the budget may update its credit_bal@t_scan_end, t_prev, and credit_bal@t_prev values ​​at 1012, for example, as follows:

[0108] credit_bal@t_scan_end=credit_bal@t_prev+{t_scan_end-t_prev}-cost;

[0109] t_prev = t_scan_end;

[0110] credit_bal@t_prev=credit_bal@t_scan_end.

[0111] At 1014, the budget may update its values ​​of t and credit_bal@t, for example as follows:

[0112] t = t_prev;

[0113] credit_bal@t=credit_bal@t_prev.

[0114] At 1016, a determination may be made as to whether credit_bal@t is greater than or equal to A_credit_Min(t), i.e., sufficient balance is available to recommend a scan at time t. If credit_bal@t is greater than or equal to A_credit_Min(t), then at 1018, the budget may recommend time t as the time to perform the next scan, and at 1020, the budget may wait (e.g., in a power-down / sleep state) for the end of the next scan (e.g., which may be at time t suggested by budget 1030, or another time suggested by another budget in the budget set, or a time selected based on minimum or maximum scan interval constraints), at which point the method may return to 1006. If credit_bal@t is not greater than or equal to A_credit_Min(t), then at 1022, the budget may increment t. At 1024, a determination may be made as to whether t has reached the end of the budget timeline (e.g., if the budget is an hourly or other periodic energy budget, and the end of the period has been reached). If t has reached the end of the budget timeline, then at 1028, the budget may end. Otherwise, if t has not reached the end of the budget timeline, then in 1026 the budget may update its value of credit_bal@t, for example as follows:

[0115] credit_bal@t=credit_bal@t_prev+A(t)*{t-t_prev}.

[0116] The budget may then return to 1016 and the algorithm may continue until the budget exit criteria is met, outputting the earliest t such that whenever at t_scan_end it is necessary to find out when to schedule the next scan at a later time 't', the presented credit margin will be able to overcome the cost with a margin of at least A_Credit_min(t) at time t.

[0117] As previously mentioned, at least in some cases, the budget set used by a device implementing an energy budget system restoration technique may be dynamically selected. Figure 11A possible algorithm for selecting a budget set for such a device according to some embodiments is shown. In the example shown, the current scan range state 1102 and the battery life state 1104 may be input into a budget set selector function 1108. As desired, any number of other inputs 1106 (e.g., based on other aspects of the current system state) may also or alternatively be provided to the budget set selector function 1108. Based on the input conditions, the budget set selector function 1108 may select a budget set from a plurality of configured budget set options 1110, 1112, 1114, as shown, or may dynamically generate a budget set. In the example shown, the budget set selector function 1108 may currently be selecting a budget set 1112. At different times (e.g., when the input parameters to the budget set selector function 1108 change), the budget set selector function 1108 may dynamically select another budget set.

[0118] Figure 12 1202 is a diagram illustrating how various parameters of a possible energy budget system recovery algorithm according to some embodiments may change over time. The diagram shown shows A(t) (in mW) and A_Credit_Min(t) (in mJ) for one energy budget in a set of energy budgets used in an exemplary scenario, as well as the resulting balance margin (in J). In addition, the diagram shown shows the power consumed by the scan (in mW) and the estimated or measured cumulative energy cost of each scan (in J). At time T=0 1202, the balance margin is at least equal to A_Credit_Min(t) for the energy budget shown and the other energy budgets in use, and therefore the first scan occurs. The energy consumption of the first scan reduces the balance margin of the energy budget to a negative value (e.g., well below A_Credit_Min(t)), but over time after the scan is completed, the supply balance margin accumulates back until it eventually reaches 0 and meets the threshold for allowing the scan, which is at time 1204 of approximately T=170s. In the illustrated scenario, time 1204 also meets the threshold for allowing a scan for each of the other budgets in the budget set, and therefore a second scan occurs.

[0119] The energy consumption of the second scan again reduces the supply balance margin of the energy budget to a negative value (e.g., well below A_Credit_Min(t)), but over time after the scan is complete, the supply balance margin accumulates back until it eventually reaches 0 and meets the threshold for allowing a scan, which is at time 1206 at approximately T=600s. Notably, since A(t) is typically lower during this later interval than during the interval between the first scan and the second scan, this later interval is, in turn, significantly longer than the interval between the first scan and the second scan. In the illustrated scenario, time 1206 does not meet the threshold for allowing a scan for at least one other budget in the budget set, so no scan occurs at time 1206. Thus, the supply balance margin continues to accumulate until Figure 12 The end of the time period shown in .

[0120] In the following, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0121] One set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising: a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to: determine one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery; determine that a loss of cellular service is currently occurring; and attempt to restore cellular service, wherein a service recovery scan timing for the attempt to restore cellular service is determined at least in part based on the one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery.

[0122] In accordance with some embodiments, in an attempt to restore cellular service, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: perform a first service recovery scan; and if cellular service is not restored during the first service recovery scan: determine a recommended interval before a second service recovery scan based on each of the one or more energy budgets for service recovery; determine an interval before the second service recovery scan based at least in part on the recommended interval before the second service recovery scan based on each of the one or more energy budgets for service recovery; and perform a second service recovery scan after the determined interval before the second service recovery scan.

[0123] According to some embodiments, the suggested interval before the at least one second service recovery scan is based at least in part on the estimated energy consumption of the first service recovery scan.

[0124] According to some embodiments, the energy consumption of the first service recovery scan is estimated based on energy consumption models for a plurality of possible service recovery activities and service recovery activity parameters and determining the service recovery activities and service recovery activity parameters to use in the first service recovery scan.

[0125] According to some embodiments, the energy consumption of the first service recovery scan is estimated using energy consumption measurement circuitry of the wireless device.

[0126] According to some embodiments, the one or more energy budgets for service restoration include an average power consumption budget for service restoration activities.

[0127] According to some embodiments, the one or more energy budgets for service restoration include a budget for total energy consumed by service restoration activities over a period of time.

[0128] According to some embodiments, the one or more energy budgets for service restoration include a total budgeted amount for a service restoration scan over a period of time.

[0129] Another set of embodiments may include a wireless device comprising: an antenna; a radio component coupled to the antenna; and a processing element coupled to the radio component; wherein the wireless device is configured to: determine one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery; determine that a cellular service recovery scenario is currently occurring; determine a time for performing a next scan for cellular service according to the cellular service recovery scenario based at least in part on the one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery; and perform the next scan for cellular service at the determined time.

[0130] According to some embodiments, to determine a time for performing a next scan for cellular service, the wireless device is further configured to determine a suggested time for performing the next scan based on each of the one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery.

[0131] In accordance with some embodiments, to determine a time for performing the next scan for cellular service, the wireless device is further configured to select a time for performing the next scan for cellular service based on a configured minimum interval between scans if the time is later than any of the recommended times for performing the next scan based on the one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery.

[0132] In accordance with some embodiments, to determine a time for performing the next scan for cellular service, the wireless device is further configured to select a time for performing the next scan for cellular service based on a configured maximum interval between scans if the time is earlier than at least one of the recommended times for performing the next scan based on the one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery.

[0133] In accordance with some embodiments, to determine a time for performing the next scan for cellular service, the wireless device is further configured to select a most recent time among the recommended times for performing the next scan based on the one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery as the time for performing the next scan for cellular service if the time results in an interval since the previous scan for cellular service that is greater than or equal to the configured minimum interval between scans and if the time results in an interval since the previous scan for cellular service that is less than or equal to the configured maximum interval between scans.

[0134] According to some embodiments, each respective energy budget includes an energy supply over time and a minimum margin of energy supply balance that allows a service recovery scan according to the respective energy budget.

[0135] According to some embodiments, the wireless device is further configured to select the one or more energy budgets for cellular service restoration based on one or more of: a battery reserve level of the wireless device; or a scan range for a next scan for cellular service.

[0136] According to some embodiments, the cellular service recovery scenario includes one of: a no service scenario, wherein the next scan for cellular service includes attempting to obtain limited service or normal service; or a limited service scenario, wherein the next scan for cellular service includes attempting to obtain normal service.

[0137] Another set of embodiments may include a method comprising: a wireless device: determining that the wireless device is in a cellular service recovery scenario; determining a time for performing a first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service recovery scenario, wherein the time for performing the first scan for cellular service is determined at least in part based on one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery; and performing the first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service recovery scenario at the determined time for performing the first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service recovery scenario.

[0138] According to some embodiments, determining the time for performing the first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service recovery scenario also includes: determining a recommended time for the first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service recovery scenario based on each of the one or more energy budgets for service recovery; and selecting the latest of the recommended times for the first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service recovery scenario, subject to the constraints of a configured minimum interval between scans for cellular service and a configured maximum interval between scans for cellular service.

[0139] According to some embodiments, the method also includes: determining that the first scan for cellular services according to the cellular service recovery scenario does not result in cellular service recovery; determining a time for performing a second scan for cellular services according to the cellular service recovery scenario, wherein the time for performing the second scan for cellular services is determined at least in part based on the one or more energy budgets for cellular service recovery and also at least in part based on the estimated energy consumption of the first scan for cellular services according to the cellular service recovery scenario; and performing the second scan for cellular services according to the cellular service recovery scenario at the determined time for performing the second scan for cellular services according to the cellular service recovery scenario.

[0140] According to some embodiments, the method further includes operating in a reduced power state between a first scan for cellular service according to the cellular service restoration scenario and a second scan for cellular service according to the cellular service restoration scenario.

[0141] Another example embodiment may include a method comprising: a wireless device: implementing any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0142] Another example embodiment may include a wireless device comprising: an antenna; a radio component coupled to the antenna; and a processing element operably coupled to the radio component, wherein the device is configured to implement any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0143] Another example embodiment may include an apparatus comprising a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to implement any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0144] Another set of example embodiments may include a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium including program instructions that, when executed at an apparatus, cause the apparatus to implement any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0145] A further exemplary set of embodiments may include a computer program comprising instructions for performing any or all of the components of any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0146] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising means for performing any or all of the elements of any of the preceding embodiments.

[0147] In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, further embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0148] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to perform a method, such as any one of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0149] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE 106 or 107) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0150] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a storage medium including program instructions; and a processing element coupled to the storage medium, the processing element configured to execute the program instructions to cause the wireless device to: Measure the signal strength of the current serving cell; Determining that the signal strength of the current serving cell is lower than a threshold; In response to determining that the signal strength of the current serving cell is below a threshold, performing a first neighbor cell search; determining that the first neighboring cell search is unsuccessful; and In response to the determination that the first neighboring cell search is unsuccessful and the determination that the signal strength of the current serving cell is lower than a threshold: determining the remaining battery power level; determining a delay interval associated with performing a second neighbor cell search based at least in part on the remaining battery power level; and After the delay interval, a second neighbor cell search is performed. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on an estimated energy consumption of the first neighbor cell search.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the energy consumption of the first neighbor cell search is estimated based on an energy consumption model for a plurality of possible service recovery activities and service recovery activity parameters and a determination of the service recovery activities and service recovery activity parameters used in the first neighbor cell search. 4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the energy consumption of the first neighbor cell search is estimated using energy consumption measurement circuitry of the wireless device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on a total budgeted number of neighbor cell searches over a period of time.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on an average power consumption budget for service recovery activities.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on a budget of total energy consumed by service recovery activities over a period of time.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on a plurality of energy budgets for cellular service restoration.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a plurality of respective ones of the plurality of energy budgets for cellular service restoration are used simultaneously to determine the interval before a second neighbor cell search.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the remaining battery power level is used to select the plurality of energy budgets for cellular service restoration.

11. A wireless device comprising: radio components; and a processing element coupled to the radio and configured to cause the wireless device to: Measure the signal strength of the current serving cell; Determining that the signal strength of the current serving cell is lower than a threshold; In response to determining that the signal strength of the current serving cell is below a threshold, performing a first neighbor cell search; determining that the first neighboring cell search is unsuccessful; and In response to the determination that the first neighboring cell search is unsuccessful and the determination that the signal strength of the current serving cell is lower than a threshold: determining the remaining battery power level; determining a delay interval associated with performing a second neighbor cell search based at least in part on the remaining battery power level; and After the delay interval, a second neighbor cell search is performed.

12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on an average power consumption budget for service recovery activities.

13. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on a budget of total energy consumed by service recovery activities over a period of time.

14. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on a plurality of energy budgets for cellular service restoration.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein a plurality of respective ones of the plurality of energy budgets for cellular service restoration are used simultaneously to determine the interval before a second neighbor cell search.

16. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the remaining battery power level is used to select the plurality of energy budgets for cellular service restoration.

17. A method for wireless communication, comprising: At the wireless device: Measure the signal strength of the current serving cell; Determining that the signal strength of the current serving cell is lower than a threshold; In response to determining that the signal strength of the current serving cell is below a threshold, performing a first neighbor cell search; determining that the first neighboring cell search is unsuccessful; and In response to the determination that the first neighboring cell search is unsuccessful and the determination that the signal strength of the current serving cell is lower than a threshold: determining the remaining battery power level; determining a delay interval associated with performing a second neighbor cell search based at least in part on the remaining battery power level; and After the delay interval, a second neighbor cell search is performed.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the interval before the second neighbor cell search is further based at least in part on an estimated energy consumption of the first neighbor cell search.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the energy consumption of the first neighbor cell search is estimated based on energy consumption models for a plurality of possible service recovery activities and service recovery activity parameters and determination of the service recovery activities and service recovery activity parameters used in the first neighbor cell search.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the energy consumption of a first neighbor cell search is estimated using energy consumption measurement circuitry of the wireless device.

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