Power management of a radio data transceiver

A method for operating a wireless mobile station which is configured to communicate with a wireless access point, the method comprising:

• determining, at the wireless mobile station, an interval of the time between successive target beacon transmission times (TBTT);
• determining, at the wireless mobile station, a setting representing an interval of time between successive Delivery Traffic Indication Messages (DTIM);
• adjusting a period of a sleep timer in response to determining the interval of time between successive TBTTs and in response to determining the interval of time between successive DTIMs;
• starting the sleep timer in response to an expiration of a first awake timer;
• and
• starting the sleep timer in response to an expiration of a second awake timer,
• wherein the period of the sleep timer determines when the sleep timer expires and wherein a radio of the wireless mobile station is in a lower power state when the sleep timer is counting prior to the sleep timer expiring, wherein each DTIM includes a multiple of TBTTs and wherein the period of the sleep timer is adjusted to account for the multiple of TBTTs in each DTIM,
• wherein the wireless mobile station performs the adjusting adaptively in response to a change of the wireless access point and
• wherein the second awake timer is started in response to the receipt of data at the wireless mobile station and wherein the first awake timer has a longer duration than the second awake timer.

A method for operating a wireless mobile station which is configured to communicate with a wireless access point, the method comprising:

• starting a first sleep timer for a first sleep state, the first sleep timer configured to count for a first sleep period of time, wherein a radio frequency (RF) radio of the wireless mobile station is in a low power state when the first sleep timer is counting for the first sleep period of time;
• changing the RF radio from the low power state to a high power state in response to the first sleep timer expiring to check if there is network activity, wherein the first sleep timer in the first sleep state is restarted if there is no network activity and wherein the RF radio, in the high power state, is configured to listen for a beacon from the wireless access point at a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) for the network activity;
• determining a first period of network inactivity for at least a specific time period has occurred, wherein the first sleep timer expired more than once during the first period of network inactivity;
• starting a second sleep timer for a second sleep state in response to determining that the first period of network inactivity has occurred, the second sleep timer being configured to count for a second sleep period of time, the second sleep period of time being longer than the first sleep period of time for the first sleep timer.

A mobile station for use with a wireless access point, the mobile station comprising:

• a radio frequency (RF) radio;
• an antenna coupled to the RF radio;
• a processor coupled to the RF radio, the processor configured to control power states of the RF radio, the power states includes at least a first sleep state associated with a first sleep timer and a listening timer, and wherein the processor is configured to
• start the first sleep timer to enter the first sleep state, wherein the power state of the RF radio is in a low power state when the first sleep timer is counting,
• in response to the first sleep timer expiring, start the listening timer to
• determine if a condition is satisfied for the RF radio to exit from the first sleep state, wherein the RF radio is in a high power state to listen for network activity when the listening timer is counting, wherein the condition includes a period of network inactivity for the first sleep state, wherein the condition is satisfied if the period of network activity is longer than a specific time period, and wherein the first sleep timer expires more than once during the period of network inactivity if the condition is satisfied, and restart the first sleep timer to remain in the first sleep state if the condition to exit the first sleep state is not satisfied.

A mobile station for use with a wireless access point, the mobile station comprising:

• a radio frequency (RF) radio;
• an antenna coupled to the RF radio;
• a processor coupled to the RF radio, the processor configured to control power states of the RF radio, the power states includes at least a first sleep state associated with a first sleep timer and a listening timer, and wherein the processor is configured to
• start the first sleep timer to enter the first sleep state, wherein the power state of the RF radio is in a low power state when the first sleep timer is counting,
• in response to the first sleep timer expiring, start the listening timer to determine if a condition is satisfied for the RF radio to exit from the first sleep state, wherein the RF radio is in a high power state when the listening timer is counting, wherein the determination comprises:
• receiving a beacon signal at a target beacon transmission time (TBTT), wherein the RF radio exits from the sleep state if the beacon signal indicates an availability of data for the mobile station from the wireless access point, and
• starting a second sleep timer to enter a second sleep state, wherein the condition indicates the mobile station has been remaining in the first sleep state longer than a period of time, and wherein the power state of the RF radio is in the low power state when the second sleep timer is counting, and
• restart the first sleep timer to remain in the first sleep state if the condition to exit the first sleep state the condition is not satisfied.