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A power management system for a mobile unit wherein the mobile unit detects the quality of the signals received from the base station. Based on this signal quality, the mobile unit determines if the voice data could be adequately transmitted using a secondary speech coder. If the transmission quali

A power management system for a mobile unit wherein the mobile unit detects the quality of the signals received from the base station. Based on this signal quality, the mobile unit determines if the voice data could be adequately transmitted using a secondary speech coder. If the transmission quality is adequate, the mobile unit switches from a primary speech coder to a secondary speech coder. The secondary speech coder is compatible with the primary speech coder, but consumes significantly less battery power when coding and decoding the voice data. The mobile unit may alternatively monitor the amount of processor usage. If the processor usage exceeds a threshold level, the mobile unit switches from the primary speech coder to the secondary speech coder.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A wireless communication system comprising: a mobile unit which receives signals from a base station, the mobile unit containing a bit-exact speech coder and a non bit-exact speech coder, wherein the bit-exact speech coder is compatible with the non bit-exact speech coder, wh

What is claimed is: 1. A wireless communication system comprising: a mobile unit which receives signals from a base station, the mobile unit containing a bit-exact speech coder and a non bit-exact speech coder, wherein the bit-exact speech coder is compatible with the non bit-exact speech coder, wherein the non bit-exact speech coder produces a lower quality transmit signal than the bit-exact speech coder, the mobile unit encoding voice data in a signal to transmit using either the bit-exact speech coder or the non bit-exact speech coder, wherein the bit-exact speech coder produces a first transmit signal and the non bit-exact speech coder produces a second transmit signal; a signal strength detector in the mobile unit which measures the signals received by the mobile unit to determine a bit error rate of the received signal, wherein the mobile unit averages several measurements of the received signal to determine an average bit error rate; and a coder selector in the mobile unit which is in communication with the signal strength detector in the mobile unit, the coder selector in the mobile unit compares the average bit error rate of the received signal to a predetermined threshold to calculate whether to switch between the non bit-exact speech coder and the bit-exact speech coder based on the average bit error rate of the received signals from the signal strength detector; wherein the coder selector switches from the non bit-exact speech coder to the bit-exact speech coder when the average bit error rate of the received signal exceeds the predetermined threshold and the coder selector switches from the bit-exact speech coder to the non bit-exact speech coder when the average bit error rate of the received signal is below the predetermined threshold; wherein the non bit exact speech encoder reduces power consumption in the mobile unit; and wherein the second transmit signal is more degraded than the first transmit signal. 2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the coder selector may be bypassed. 3. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the signal strength detector measures the estimated frame-by-frame bit error rate. 4. A method of conserving power in a wireless communication system comprising the acts of: measuring in a mobile unit a bit error rate of at least one signal received by the mobile unit from a base station; averaging in the mobile unit several measurements of the received signal to determine an average bit error rate; comparing in the mobile unit the average bit error rate with a predetermined threshold; and calculating in a mobile unit whether to switch between a bit-exact speech coder and a non bit-exact speech coder based on the average bit error rate; wherein the mobile unit switches from the non bit-exact speech coder to the bit-exact speech coder when the average bit error rate exceeds the predetermined threshold and switches from the bit-exact speech coder to the non bit-exact speech coder when the average bit error rate is below the predetermined threshold; wherein the non-bit exact speech coder is compatible with the bit-exact speech coder; and wherein the non bit-exact speech coder produces a lower quality signal than the bit-exact speech coder. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of switching to the non bit-exact speech coder may be selectively activated. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the non bit-exact speech coder is one of a family of speech coders which can exchange compatible data. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the non bit-exact speech coder saves power. 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the non bit-exact speech coder reduces processor loading. 9. The method of claim 4, wherein measuring in the mobile unit the bit error rate comprises measuring an RX Quality figure of the received signal. 10. The method of claim 4, wherein measuring in the mobile unit the bit error rate comprises measuring an estimated frame-by-frame bit error rate of the received signal. 11. The method of claim 4, wherein measuring in the mobile unit the bit error rate comprises determining a parity check of the received signal. 12. A wireless communication system comprising: a processor usage indicator in a mobile unit which determines the loading on a processor in the mobile unit; and a speech coder selector in the mobile unit which is in communication with the processor usage indicator, the speech coder selector in the mobile unit compares the loading on the processor to a predetermined threshold to calculate whether to switch between a non bit-exact speech coder and a bit-exact speech coder based on the loading on the processor from the processor usage indicator; wherein the speech coder selector switches from the bit-exact speech coder to the non bit-exact speech coder when the loading on the processor exceeds the predetermined threshold and switches from the non bit-exact speech coder to the bit-exact speech coder when the loading on the processor is below the predetermined threshold; wherein the non bit-exact speech coder is compatible with the bit-exact speech coder; and wherein the non bit-exact speech coder is less accurate than the bit-exact speech coder. 13. The wireless communication system of claim 12, wherein the speech coder selector may be selectively activated. 14. The wireless communication system of claim 12, wherein the non bit-exact speech coder saves power. 15. The wireless communication system of claim 12, wherein the non bit-exact speech coder reduces processor loading. 16. The wireless communication system of claim 12, wherein the bit-exact speech coder and the non bit-exact speech coder are members of a family of speech coders. 17. The wireless communication system of claim 16, wherein encoded data may be decoded by a single decoder. 18. A wireless communication system comprising: a signal strength indicator in a mobile unit which measures a signal received by the mobile unit to determine a bit error rate of the received signal, wherein the signal strength indicator averages several measurements of the received signal to determine an average bit error rate; and a speech coder selector in the mobile unit which is in communication with the signal strength detector in the mobile unit, the speech coder selector in the mobile unit compares the average bit error rate on the received signal to a predetermined threshold to calculate whether to switch between a bit-exact speech coder and a non bit-exact speech coder based on the average bit error rate of the received signal from the signal strength indicator; wherein the speech coder selector switches from the non bit-exact speech coder to the bit-exact speech coder when the average bit error rate of the received signal exceeds the predetermined threshold and the speech coder selector switches from the bit-exact speech coder to the non bit-exact speech coder when the average bit error rate is below the predetermined threshold; wherein the bit-exact speech coder and the non bit-exact speech coder can exchange compatible data; and wherein the non bit-exact speech coder is a lower quality speech coder than the bit-exact speech coder. 19. The wireless communication system of claim 18, wherein the speech coder selector may switch between the bit-exact speech coder and the non bit-exact speech coder each frame. 20. A wireless communication system comprising: means for measuring in a mobile unit a bit error rate of a signal received by the mobile unit from a base station; means for averaging in the mobile unit several measurements of the received signal to determine an average bit error rate; means for comparing in the mobile unit the average bit error rate with a predetermined value; and means for calculating in the mobile unit whether to switch between a bit-exact speech coder and a non bit-exact speech coder based on the average bit error rate; wherein the mobile unit switches from the non bit-exact speech coder to the bit-exact speech coder when the average bit error rate exceeds the predetermined value and switches from the bit-exact speech coder to the non bit-exact speech coder when the average bit error rate is below the predetermined value; wherein the non bit-exact speech coder is compatible with the bit-exact speech coder; and wherein the non bit-exact speech coder is a lower quality speech coder than the bit-exact speech coder. 21. The wireless communication system of claim 20, wherein the non bit-exact speech coder consumes less power than the bit-exact speech coder. 22. The wireless communication system of claim 20, wherein the switching is software controlled. 23. The wireless communication system of claim 20, wherein the predetermined value may be dynamically adjusted. 24. A wireless communication system comprising: means for determining in a mobile unit the loading on a processor in the mobile unit; and means for comparing in the mobile unit which is in communication with the means for determining, the means for comparing compares the loading on the processor to a predetermined threshold to calculate whether to switch between a non bit-exact speech coder and a bit-exact speech coder based on the loading on the processor; wherein the means for comparing switches from the bit-exact speech coder to the non bit-exact speech coder when the loading on the processor exceeds the predetermined threshold and switches from the non bit-exact speech coder to the bit-exact speech coder when the loading on the processor is less than the predetermined threshold; wherein the non bit-exact speech coder is compatible with the bit-exact speech coder; and wherein the non bit-exact speech coder is a lower quality speech coder than the bit-exact speech coder. 25. The wireless communication system of claim 24, wherein the switching may be selectively disabled. 26. The wireless communication system of claim 24, wherein the bit-exact speech coder and the non bit-exact speech coder are members of a family of speech coders which can exchange compatible data.