Patent Publication Number: US-10764827-B2

Title: Device, system, and method for a high power mode for a cellular connection

Description:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     A user equipment (UE) may be configured to establish a connection to at least one of a plurality of different networks or types of networks as well as with other UEs to perform a variety of different functionalities via the connection. For example, the UE may connect to a first type of network (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) network) to communicate with another UE through the network connection (e.g., a user of the UE may perform a voice call or transmit a text to another user of another UE). In another example, the UE may connect to a second type of network (e.g., WiFi network) to receive browser data at a higher rate of data exchange. In a further example, the UE may directly connect to a further UE using a short-range communication protocol (e.g., BlueTooth). 
     Despite the various ways that the UEs may connect to networks or with other UEs, the UE may be a cellular link budget limited device such as a wearable device. As a cellular link budget limited device, the UE may be in a sub-optimal radio condition with a network more often than a non-link budget limited device such as a smartphone. Under a sub-optimal radio condition, a resulting user experience may become very poor (e.g., in both voice and data exchange). This sub-optimal radio condition is compounded by an increased power cost as compared to if there were more optimal radio conditions. The cellular link budget limited device may additionally have a smaller power supply than a non-link budget limited device (e.g., owing to form factor limitations of the UE). 
     SUMMARY 
     The exemplary embodiments are directed to a method, comprising: at a device that is configured to establish a network connection to a network: detecting a number of at least one event that has occurred over a time period, the at least one event associated with operations used through the network connection, the at least one event indicative of a power to perform the operations that is greater than a predetermined power; when the number is at least a predetermined threshold, identifying the network connection as being in a high power state; and activating settings when the network connection is in the high power state, the settings reducing a usage of the operations over the network connection. 
     The exemplary embodiments are directed to a device, comprising: a transceiver configured to establish a cellular connection to a cellular network, the transceiver being in an idle state; and a processor detecting a number of at least one event that has occurred over a time period, the at least one event associated with operations used through the network connection, the at least one event indicative of a power to perform the operations that is greater than a predetermined power, when the number is at least a predetermined threshold, the processor identifying the network connection as being in a high power state, the processor activating settings when the network connection is in the high power state, the settings reducing a usage of the operations over the network connection. 
     The exemplary embodiments are directed to a method, comprising: at a device that is configured to establish a network connection to a network through a base station of the network: determining uplink transmission parameters indicative of a sustainability of an uplink communication pathway of the network connection; when the uplink transmission parameters are outside a predetermined acceptable operational range, identifying the uplink communication pathway of the network connection to be unsustainable; generating a measurement report indicating a radio link failure (RLF) despite a genuine RLF event being absent; and transmitting the measurement report to the base station intended to trigger a handover procedure to a further base station of the network. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a network arrangement according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 2  shows a user equipment according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 3  shows a signaling diagram of utilizing a high power mode according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 4  shows a method for determining settings to be used corresponding to an identified mode according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 5  shows a method for determining settings to be used when in a high power mode according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 6  shows a method for utilizing a pre-radio link failure operation according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments are related to a device, system, and method for utilizing a high power mode of operation on a user equipment (UE) when the UE is in a high power state with regard to a network connection as related to a link quality monitoring (LQM). Specifically, the (UE) may be connected to a network (e.g., a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network) but a quality of the network connection may require further power to perform operations over the network in comparison to a normal state having a normal mode of operation. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments provide a first mechanism in which the network connection is monitored to identify whether the normal mode of operation or the high power mode of operation is to be used and a second mechanism to utilize first settings associated with the high power mode of operation or second settings associated with the normal mode of operation as well as operations to switch between the first and second settings. 
     Initially, it is noted that the exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a UE. However, the UE is only exemplary. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any device that may establish a connection to a network, particularly a cellular network such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, and configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange and process data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any network capable device. 
     It is also noted that the exemplary embodiments are described with regard to the UE having a companion UE where the UE is a slave and the companion UE is a master. Accordingly, when the UE and the companion UE are connected to one another over a short-range communication pathway, the UE may receive data via the companion UE while deactivating any network capabilities to a cellular network and/or a WiFi network. However, when the UE and the companion UE are not connected, the UE may exchange data over any network to which it is configured to connect (instead of through the companion UE). However, the use of the UE and the companion UE is only exemplary. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized for any UE (with or without a companion UE) and represent any device. 
     With developments to UEs as well as further types of UEs being introduced (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)), the manner in which the UEs may communicate with networks may need modification. For example, a first UE may be linked to a second UE as companions. Specifically, the first UE may be a wearable (e.g., a slave) while the second UE may be a smartphone which is the wearable&#39;s companion (e.g., master). While the wearable and the smartphone are within range of one another within the limits of a short-range communication protocol, the wearable and the smartphone may communicate such that data being received by the smartphone may be relayed to the wearable (e.g., an incoming call or text received on the smartphone may be relayed to the wearable). In this manner, the wearable may conserve a limited power supply by using only the short-range communication protocol instead of having to associate with and monitor one or more networks. 
     When the UE is separated from the companion UE, the UE may also be configured to independently connect to a network to exchange data without assistance from the companion UE. However, the UE may be a cellular link budget limited device. Specifically, the UE may not have as complex a transceiver or the transceiver may be configured to rely on the short-range communication pathway while a cellular network connection may be a secondary protocol. The UE may also have form factor limitations such as a reduced volume compared to the companion UE. The form factor limitation may limit the types of components that may be included in the UE. For example, the UE may not include a diversity antenna. In another example, the UE may include a power supply that is more limited than the power supply of the companion UE (e.g., a smaller maximum stored power). 
     In the scenario where the UE is not connected to the companion and connected to a LTE network, the above noted limitations may place the UE in a sub-optimal radio condition (e.g., a high power state) where using the network connection may require additional power and processing than if the UE is in an optimal radio condition (e.g., a normal state). Although the UE may be in a substantially similar position or location where a non-link budget limited device may experience an optimal radio condition, the UE may not be configured to optimize the network connection in a way that the non-link budget limited device is capable. If the UE is in a substantially similar position or location where the non-link budget limited device also experiences a sub-optimal radio condition, the UE may become further stressed and require even more additional power and processing. In a particular example, the UE may be within an operating area of a cell but be at a location within the cell operating area that causes the UE to experience a sub-optimal radio condition. The sub-optimal radio conditions in the location causes the UE to use additional power to perform operations with the network (e.g., require more transmit power for an uplink transmission). Furthermore, the sub-optimal radio conditions may lead to a poor user experience including requiring a longer amount of time for the user to complete a data session. 
     Throughout this description, the terms “optimal” radio condition(s) and “sub-optimal” radio condition(s) will be used. It should be understood that there are no specific radio conditions that qualify as optimal or sub-optimal. These terms are merely used to explain the relationship between two radio conditions. For example, during a first set of radio conditions, the UE may transmit at a first power level and during a second set of radio conditions, the UE may transmit at a second power level that is higher than the first power level. In this example, the first set of radio conditions may be considered “optimal” and the second set of radio conditions may be considered “sub-optimal.” 
     In view of the additional limitations that the UE faces in maintaining a network connection within a tolerable optimal range (e.g., of a normal state), the exemplary embodiments provide a way to enhance use of the limited power supply by utilizing a high power mode when a high power state of the network connection is identified. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments are directed to a first mechanism to detect and identify when the UE is under sub-optimal radio conditions in a reliable manner. The exemplary embodiments are also directed to a second mechanism to utilize a high power mode or settings associated therewith to reduce the cellular usage over the network connection when the UE is under such conditions to achieve longer life in the power supply while still considering the end user experience to minimize any impact thereto and maintaining any regulatory requirements. 
     It is noted that the features of the exemplary embodiments are described with regard to the UE being connected to a LTE network. However, it should be noted that the use of the LTE network is only exemplary. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any scenario in which the UE is connected to a network and a network connection with this network creates a sub-optimal state (e.g., high power state) compared to a normal state. 
       FIG. 1  shows a network arrangement  100  according to the exemplary embodiments. The network arrangement  100  includes UEs  110 - 114 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the UEs  110 - 114  may be any type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers, desktop computers, smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearables, Cat-M devices, Cat-M1 devices, MTC devices, eMTC devices, etc. It should also be understood that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs being used by any number of users and being associated with any number of these users where the user may be associated with one or more of the UEs. That is, the example of three (3) UEs  110 - 114  is only provided for illustrative purposes. 
     Each of the UEs  110 - 114  may be configured to communicate directly with one or more networks. In this example, the networks with which the UEs  110 - 114  may wirelessly communicate are a legacy radio access network (RAN)  120  (e.g., a 3G network), a LTE RAN (LTE-RAN)  122 , and a wireless local area network (WLAN)  124  (e.g., a WiFi network). However, it should be understood that the UEs  110 - 114  may also communicate with other types of networks and may also communicate using a wired connection. With regards to the exemplary embodiments, the UEs  110 - 114  may establish a connection with one or more of the legacy RAN  120 , the LTE-RAN  122 , and the WLAN  124 . For example, the UEs  110 - 114  may have a legacy chipset, a LTE chipset, and/or a WiFi chipset that are used to communicate with the legacy RAN  120 , the LTE-RAN  122 , and/or the WLAN  124 , respectively. The use of three (3) networks is only exemplary and there may be any other number of networks with which the UEs  110 - 114  may communicate. 
     Each of the UEs  110 - 114  may also be configured to communicate with the other UEs  110 - 114  without using the networks  120 - 124 . For example, as illustrated, the UE  110  may communicate with the UE  112  using a short-range communication protocol such as BlueTooth. Thus, if the UE  110  and the UE  112  are within a proximity of one another (e.g., within a distance in which BlueTooth communications may be performed), the UE  110  and the UE  112  may exchange data. In a specific exemplary embodiment, if the short-range communication protocol is being used, the UE  110  and the UE  112  may have a companion relationship where the UE  110  is a slave and the UE  112  is a master. Thus, the UE  110  may utilize only the short-range communication protocol without connecting to any of the networks  120 - 124  while the UE  112  may connect to one or more of the networks  120 - 124  and relay data exchanged between the networks  120 - 124  and the UE  112  to the UE  110  over the short-range communication pathway. However, it is again noted that the use of a companion relationship is only exemplary and the UE  110  may connect to one or more of the networks  120 - 124  whether or not the UE  110  is within range of communicating with the UE  112  over the short-range communication pathway. 
     The legacy RAN  120  and the LTE-RAN  122  are portions of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&amp;T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks  120  and  122  may include, for example, base client stations (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, etc.) that are configured to send and receive traffic from UEs that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set. As noted above, the exemplary embodiments are described with regard to the LTE-RAN  122  but may be modified for use with the legacy RAN  120  when the cellular connection with the legacy RAN  120  becomes sub-optimal or creates a high power state on the UEs  110 - 114 . The WLAN  124  may include any type of wireless local area network (e.g., WiFi, Hot Spot, IEEE 802.11x networks, etc.). 
     In addition to the networks  120 - 124 , the network arrangement  100  also includes a cellular core network  130 , the Internet  140 , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)  150 , and a network services backbone  160 . The cellular core network  130  may be considered to be the interconnected set of components that manages the operation and traffic of the cellular network. The cellular core network  130  also manages the traffic that flows between the cellular network and the Internet  140 . The IMS  150  may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UEs  110 - 114  using the IP protocol. The IMS  150  may communicate with the cellular core network  130  and the Internet  140  to provide the multimedia services to the UEs  110 - 114 . The network services backbone  160  is in communication either directly or indirectly with the Internet  140  and the cellular core network  130 . The network services backbone  160  may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UEs  110 - 114  in communication with the various networks. The network services backbone  160  may interact with the UEs  110 - 114  and/or the networks  120 ,  122 ,  124 ,  130 ,  140  to provide these extended functionalities. 
     The exemplary embodiments relate to the UE  110  connecting to the LTE-RAN  122  while separated from the UE  112  which is a companion master to the UE  110 .  FIG. 2  shows the UE  110  of the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  according to the exemplary embodiments. Specifically, the UE  110  is configured to execute a plurality of applications that perform functionalities to identify a state of a network connection (e.g., a cellular connection) between the UE  110  and a base station of the network (e.g., a cell) as well as determine which settings are to be used for the network connection. It is noted that the UE  110  may or may not be utilizing a short range communication protocol (e.g., with a companion UE) and may or may not also be utilizing a further network connection (e.g., a WiFi connection). It is also noted that the UE  110  being configured with the features of the exemplary embodiments is only exemplary. That is, the UE  110  may also represent the UEs  112 ,  114 . 
     The UE  110  may represent any electronic device that is configured to perform wireless functionalities and may be representative of one or more of the UEs  110 - 114  (examples of which are noted above). The UE  110  may include a processor  205 , a memory arrangement  210 , a display device  215 , an input/output (I/O) device  220 , a transceiver  225 , and other components  230 . The other components  230  may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery that provides a limited power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the UE  110  to other electronic devices, etc. 
     The processor  205  may be configured to execute a plurality of applications of the UE  110 . For example, the applications may include a state application  235  and a mode application  240 . The state application  235  may be configured to identify the state associated with a network connection between UE  110  and a corresponding network. Specifically, the state may be a normal state or a high power state. As will be described in further detail below, the high power state may be any state in which processing and/or power requirements are greater than an upper limit of the normal state, the causes of which may vary. The mode application  240  may be configured to receive the identified state from the state application  235  to determine settings to be applied for operations associated with the network connection. As will be described in detail below, the settings may correspond to a normal mode used during the normal state and to a high power mode used during the high power state. In another example, the applications may include a pre-radio link failure (RLF) application  245 . As will be described in further detail below, the pre-RLF application  245  may include a specialized set of operations that are performed for the settings corresponding to the high power mode. 
     It should be noted that the above noted applications each being an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor  205  is only exemplary. The functionality associated with the applications may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UE  110  or may be a modular component coupled to the UE  110 , e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor  205  is split among two processors, a baseband processor and an applications processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE. For illustrative purposes, the processor  205  may be a baseband processor that operates with an applications processor or a stack of the applications processor (as will be described in further detail below). 
     The memory  210  may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE  110 . As will be described in further detail below, the memory  210  may store data associated with connectivity information (e.g., information corresponding to the network connection) and/or operation information (e.g., information of operations performed for the network connection) for the state application  235  to perform its functionality. The display device  215  may be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I/O device  220  may be a hardware component that enables the user to enter inputs. It should be noted that the display device  215  and the I/O device  220  may be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen. 
     The transceiver  225  may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with at least one of a base station associated with the legacy RAN  120 , a base station of the LTE-RAN  122  (e.g., an evolved Node B (eNB)), a router of a WLAN  124 , the UE  112 , etc. in an independent manner, in a singular manner (e.g., if the UE  110  is only capable of establishing a single connection at a time), or in a concurrent manner (e.g., if the UE  110  is capable of establishing one or more connections at a time). Accordingly, the transceiver  225  may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies). Therefore, the transceiver  225  may include one or more components to enable the data exchange with the various networks and UEs. One or more antennas (not shown) may be coupled to these one or more components of the transceiver  225  to enable the transceiver  225  to operate on the various frequency bands. As those skilled in the art will understand, if the UE  110  is a slave companion device or a cellular link budget limited device that has form factor limitations, the UE  110  may include only one antenna (as opposed to a multi-antenna arrangement or a diversity antenna). 
     As described above, the state application  235  may be configured to identify the state associated with a network connection between UE  110  and the LTE-RAN  122 . The state application  235  may receive various types of information to perform its functionality. For example, the state application  235  may receive connectivity related information associated with the network connection (e.g., power being used for transmissions, received signal strength, etc.) and/or operation related information associated with the network connection (e.g., whether a particular operation had a failure or successful result). The state application  235  may utilize this information to determine various factors and combinations of factors in determining whether the network connection is in a normal state or a high-power state. Specifically, the state application  235  may detect the presence of events that are indicative of the high-power state. 
     In a first example, the state application  235  may determine whether there has been a random access channel (RACH) failure. As those skilled in the art will understand, the RACH is a shared transport-layer channel used to access the LTE-RAN  122 . The access to the LTE-RAN  122  over the RACH may be for a variety of reasons such as to set up a call or for a burst of data exchange. For example, whenever a functionality over the LTE-RAN  122  is utilized such as a voice over LTE (VoLTE) call, the UE  110  may initially schedule a RACH with the LTE-RAN  122 . Accordingly, when the transceiver  225  is activated and for all subsequent operations to be performed over the LTE-RAN  122 , the establishment of the RACH between the UE  110  and the LTE-RAN  122  may be performed as data exchanges between the UE  110  and the LTE-RAN  122  must be synchronized. 
     Due to the nature of how the RACH operates, there may be failures in establishing the RACH. For example, the RACH may be an “open” channel where messages are not scheduled (e.g., the RACH may not have a dedicated channel). Thus, in the RACH, there is no certainty that the message will not be interfered with during transmission as it is possible that one or more UEs are attempting to connect/synchronize with the LTE-RAN  122  at the same time. When a plurality of UEs are transmitting messages at the same time for establishing the RACH, the messages may collide and result in the message transmitted by the UE  110  failing to be received by the LTE-RAN  122 . As those skilled in the art will understand, this process may refer to contention and, under RACH, a contention-based RACH process. The LTE-RAN  122  may be configured with a contention resolution operation to resolve this issue. However, the number of RACH attempts by the UE  110  may be indicative of whether the network connection is in the high power state. 
     The above manner of the messages being transmitted to establish the RACH is based on coincidence and/or a concentration of UEs in the cell operating area. Thus, RACH failures may or may not be indicative of the high power state. For example, if the RACH attempt succeeds within a predetermined threshold attempt number, the state application  235  may assume that the attempts were made at coincidentally inopportune times. That is, the network connection is in a normal state and the RACH did not fail for purposes of determining whether the network connection is in a high power state. In contrast, if the RACH attempt does not succeed until or even after the predetermined threshold attempt number, the state application  235  may determine the RACH failure event which may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. 
     It is noted that the RACH may also fail to establish for further reasons such as the UE  110  having a sub-optimal radio condition where the network connection is not capable of transmitting the messages successfully to the LTE-RAN  122 . However, through use of the above noted attempts and re-attempts within the predetermined threshold attempt number, the state application  235  may determine whether the network connection is in the high power state (although when having the sub-optimal radio condition, the probability is more likely that the RACH will fail). 
     In a second example, the state application  235  may determine a number of retransmission attempts that are used for uplink transmissions based on the radio link control (RLC). As those skilled in the art will understand, the RLC is a layer 2 protocol used by the LTE-RAN  122 . Among the various functionalities being performed, the RLC may include a retransmission operation. Specifically, the retransmission operation may be part of an automatic repeat request (ARQ) fragmentation procedure where an uplink data packet above a predetermined size is fragmented and each fragment is transmitted (to be later concatenated by the receiving component such as the base station of the LTE-RAN  122 ). The objective of the ARQ fragmentation procedure is to minimize packet loss (e.g., to achieve a packet loss of 1%, 0.01%, 0.0001%, etc.). Thus, when a packet is indicated as not being received (e.g., via a NACK from the base station of the LTE-RAN  122 ), the RLC of the UE  110  may re-transmit the failed packet until an ACK is received. 
     However, the ARQ fragmentation procedure may limit the number of times that the retransmission operation may be performed. For example, the RLC may only re-transmit the same packet for a predetermined number of re-transmissions before the transmission of the packet is determined to fail (e.g., lost packet). Although there are any number of reasons that may cause the predetermined re-transmission number to be reached without an ACK, one particular reason is when the UE  110  is in the sub-optimal radio condition. Accordingly, the UE  110  may be required to re-transmit the same packet for each of a plurality of packets the predetermined number of re-transmissions. This causes the UE  110  to expend further amounts of power in re-transmitting the packets as opposed to when the UE  110  is in an optimal radio condition and a number of re-transmissions may be less. 
     The state application  235  may utilize the number of re-transmission attempts for a packet to identify whether the network condition is the high power state. Accordingly, if the predetermined re-transmission number is determined for the packet, the state application  235  may determine a re-transmission failure event which may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. The state application  235  may also eliminate false positives when a packet is lost since a perfect transmission of the packets is rare and a single packet being lost may not be indicative of the high power state. Thus, the state application  235  may require that at least a predetermined number of packets are lost or reach the predetermined re-transmission number prior to determining that the network connection is likely in the high power state. 
     The above determination is based on packets actually being lost. However, the high power state may also be created from re-transmission attempts constantly being required. That is, the packet loss may satisfy the objective target (e.g., 1%) but one or more packets required a high number of re-transmission attempts. Therefore, the UE  110  is still required to utilize further power in performing these re-transmission attempts as opposed to if the UE  110  had optimal radio conditions. To accommodate this scenario, the state application  235  may utilize an average number of re-transmission attempts for packets corresponding to the large data block or packets over a period of time. For example, if the average number of re-transmission attempts is at least some percentage of the predetermined maximum re-transmission number (e.g., 80%), the state application  235  may determine the re-transmission failure event which may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. 
     In a third example, the state application  235  may determine whether there has been a physical layer (PHY) abort indication. As those skilled in the art will understand, the PHY is the first layer of the seven layer Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model used by the LTE-RAN  122  that is directed to bit-level data transmission (defining how raw bits of data are transmitted over a physical link with the LTE-RAN  122 ) and support of interfaces for synchronized communication. Accordingly, the PHY may be privy to connectivity and operation information. Specifically, as data is being transmitted, the PHY may determine a maximum transmit power limit (MTPL) and a power-control physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmit power in transmitting this data to the LTE-RAN  122 . The PHY may also determine an uplink block error rate (BLER) associated with transmitting the data to the LTE-RAN  122 . It is noted that the PHY abort event may only be determined while the transceiver  225  is in the connected mode with the LTE-RAN  122 . 
     To determine the PHY abort event that is indicative of the high power state of the network connection, the state application  235  may initially determine a difference between the MTPL and the PUSCH transmit power. When the difference is greater than a corresponding predetermined threshold, this may be a first indicator of the PHY abort event. The state application  235  may further determine the uplink BLER and whether this value is greater than a corresponding predetermined threshold. If the uplink BLER is above the corresponding predetermined threshold, this may be a second indicator of the PHY abort event. If the state application  235  determines both indicators (e.g., (1) high delta between the MTPL and the PUSCH transmit power and (2) high uplink BLER), the state application  235  may determine the PHY abort event which may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. 
     In a particular implementation of the state application  235  performing the above operations, the state application  235  may determine when a time window in which to perform the measurements has begun. The time window may be any predetermined duration of time in which the measurements are to be determined. During this time window and for each subframe within a scheduled uplink transmission, the state application  235  may receive information from the PHY to check whether a difference between the PUSCH transmit power and the MTPL is greater than a corresponding predetermined threshold. The state application  235  may also check whether the uplink BLER is greater than a corresponding predetermined threshold. Accordingly, the state application  235  may determine when both of these conditions have been satisfied to indicate an unsustainable uplink transmission condition. At the end of the time window, the state application  235  may determine the number of times that combination of conditions were met for the unsustainable uplink transmission condition. If the number of times is within a tolerable predetermined maximum, the state application  235  may determine that the PHY abort event has not occurred. However, if the number of times is beyond the tolerable predetermined maximum, the state application  235  may determine that the PHY abort event has occurred. 
     In a fourth example, the state application  235  may determine whether there is a high power per bit ratio. Specifically, the high power per bit ratio may relate to the uplink transmission power and a hybrid ARQ (HARQ) re-transmission power. The uplink transmission power may relate to an actual uplink transmission power used to transmit a data packet. The HARQ re-transmission power may relate to a an actual HARQ re-transmission power used to re-transmit a data packet that was previously indicated as not being received by the base station of the LTE-RAN  122 . It is noted that the high power per bit ratio event may only be determined while the transceiver  225  is in the connected mode with the LTE-RAN  122 . 
     In a specific implementation, over a time period (e.g., 40 subframes), the state application  235  may determine (1) a difference between an expected uplink transmission power and the actual uplink transmission power and (2) a difference between an expected HARQ re-transmission power and the actual HARQ re-transmission power. As those skilled in the art will understand, based on various connectivity parameters, the transceiver  225  may determine the expected power that would be required to successfully transmit a data packet (in the uplink transmission or in the re-transmission). Accordingly, a positive difference in the actual and expected power may indicate that the network connection is in a high power state as more power is required than is expected if the network connection is in a normal state. If both the difference in the uplink transmission power and the difference in the re-transmission power are greater than a corresponding predetermined threshold, the state application  235  may determine that the high power per bit ratio event has occurred which is indicative of the network connection being in a high power state. 
     In a fifth example, the state application  235  may determine whether there is a grant event. The grant event may relate to the LTE-RAN  122  scheduling a grant. Specifically, the grant may be when the LTE-RAN  122  gives extremely low grant sizes over an extended period of time. For example, the extremely low grant size may be between 7 to 10 bytes and the extended period of time may be in multiples of 10 seconds such as 10, 20, 30, 40, etc. seconds. However, it is noted that the grant size and period of time for the grant event may vary depending on a variety of reasons such as the type of network and corresponding operating parameters of the network. As those skilled in the art will understand, the network to which the UE  110  is connected such as the LTE-RAN  122  defines how data is exchanged. Accordingly, the LTE-RAN  122  may define the size of the grant in which data is to be transmitted from the UE  110  to the LTE-RAN  122 . When the grant size is low, the UE  110  may be required to activate the transceiver  225  more times instead of using a low power mode (e.g., as used in a connected discontinuous reception (CDRX) mode). Therefore, the UE  110  may be required to utilize more power than if the grant size were larger. Thus, if the state application  235  determines that the grant size or an average of the grant size over the extended period of time is below a predetermined threshold, the state application  235  may determine that the grant event has occurred which is indicative of the network connection being in a high power state. 
     The state application  235  may be configured to utilize the detection of the events in a variety of different manners in identifying when the network connection is in the high power mode or the normal mode. Specifically, the state application  235  may determine when a predetermined number of different events are detected within a time frame. For example, of the five exemplary events described above, the state application  235  may detect the RACH failure event and the PHY abort event within a given time frame. However, in one example, three different events may be detected for the state application  235  to determine that the network connection is in the high power state. Thus, the state application  235  may conclude that the network connection is in the normal mode. In another example, the state application  235  may detect the RACH failure event, the PHY abort event, the high power per bit ratio event, and the grant event over the given time frame. As at least three different events have been detected and four events being present, the state application  235  may conclude that the network connection is in the high power state. In a further example, the state application  235  may also be configured to detect when the same event has occurred a predetermined minimum number of times within the given time frame. If the same event is detected multiple times over the given time frame such as the PHY abort event occurring three times within the given time frame, the state application  235  may conclude that the network connection is in the high power state. 
     It is noted that the state application  235  may utilize any number of different events over any time frame. For example, the use of three events over a time frame is only exemplary and may be one, two, four, or all five. The given time frame when detecting three events may be 100 seconds. However, this too is only exemplary and the given time frame may be increased or decreased. In a particular manner of utilizing a combination of number of different events and a given time frame, a direct relationship may exist therebetween where a number of different events being detected may increase as the given time frame also increases and vice versa. If the state application  235  is configured to require detecting a plurality of different events in the given time frame, a more strict standard may be utilized to reliably identify when the network connection is in the high power state instead of the network connection being in the normal state with random detections of the events. 
     The state application  235  may include a security mechanism when identifying whether the network connection is in the high power state. Specifically, the state application  235  may be configured with a high power evaluation back off operation. The high power evaluation back off operation may be used to avoid redundancy, particularly when a false positive of the high power state is identified (and, as will be described below, results in the UE  110  being placed in a high power mode). From performing the various measurements and operations in detecting the events described above, the same PHY conditions may manifest as multiple high power events. As described above, the same measurements and/or factors may be used in detecting whether an event is present. Accordingly, it may be possible that the same conditions at the PHY may result in different events being detected and ultimately satisfying the requirement of the number of different events within the time period. That is, one trigger of an event may result in other triggers such that the baseband may get inundated with triggers and detection of events. However, this may not necessarily equate to the network condition being in the high power state. For example, under sub-optimal radio conditions, the uplink conditions may translate to multiple high power events being received at or near the same time (e.g., the re-transmission failure event, the PHY abort event, and the high power per bit ratio event). 
     To avoid the above noted scenario where such events received at or near the same time cause the state application  235  to be biased toward identifying the high power state, the high power evaluation back off operation may allow a break in the detections. Specifically, the high power evaluation back off operation may be configured to utilize a timer upon detecting a particular event. Once a particular type of the event is detected, the state application  235  may initiate the timer for a given duration. During the duration of this timer, the state application  235  may select to ignore honoring a new high power event receiving during the duration of the timer even though the information indicates the presence of this high power event. Once the timer has expired, the state application  235  may again register when the high power event is detected for purposes of identifying whether the network connection is in the high power state. In this manner, the high power evaluation back off operation may allow the state application  235  to remove any bias toward the high power state when the same event is detected and/or prevent the network connection from being constantly identified in the high power state. For example, the minimum number of events may be detected for a first time period to warrant identifying the high power state. However, with the timer, a second, ensuing time period may not satisfy the minimum number of events as a first event may be repeated but not registered in this ensuing time period. It is noted that if a second event were to be absent in the first time period but detected in the second time period to replace the first event in the counter of events, the minimum number of events may be satisfied. Accordingly, this high power evaluation back off operation is directed to whether events are to be registered for consideration while the identification of the network connection being in the high power state remains an independent determination based on detected events. 
     The above mechanism performed by the state application  235  relates particularly to when the transceiver  225  is in the connected state with the LTE-RAN  122 . However, the state application  235  may also be configured to identify whether the network connection is in the high power state while the transceiver  225  is not in the connected state (e.g., an idle state). While the transceiver  225  is in the idle state, the state application  235  may determine whether the UE  110  is located in a high power cost region of an operating area of the cell based on different measurements. In a first example, the state application  235  may measure a reference signal received power (RSRP). The UE  110  may have received connectivity information from the LTE-RAN  122  that configures a q-RxLevMin, which represents a minimum required level of the RSRP for the cell. For example, the q-RxLevMin may be set as −124 dbm. The state application  235  may compare the RSRP to the q-RxLevMin to determine whether the network connection is in the high power state. Specifically, if the RSRP is within a predetermined range from the q-RxLevMin, the network connection may be in the high power state. For example, if the RSRP is at −123 dbm. In a second example, the state application  235  may measure a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). If the SINR is below a predetermined threshold, the state application  235  may determine that the network connection is in the high power state. For example, the predetermined threshold for the SINR may be less than or equal to −6 dB. It is noted that the thresholds described above for the different connectivity measurements are only exemplary. 
     While the transceiver  225  of the UE  110  is in the idle state, the state application  235  may utilize the above measurements in identifying the state of the network connection. In a particular implementation, the state application  235  may require that one or both of the conditions be met consistently for a predetermined time period for the network connection to be considered in the high power state. For example, the time period may be between 10 to 15 seconds. The state application  235  may require this consistent condition for the time period to avoid false positives. 
     As described above, the mode application  240  may be configured to receive the identified state from the state application  235  to determine settings to be applied for operations associated with the network connection. Specifically, the mode application  240  may instruct the processor  205 , the baseband, and/or the transceiver  225  to utilize a particular set of settings under a mode corresponding to the identified state. That is, a first set of settings may be for a high power mode corresponding to a high power state and a second set of settings may be for a normal mode corresponding to a normal state. The second set of settings for the normal mode in the normal state may be the conventional settings used without any modification. 
     The first set of settings for the high power mode in the high power state may include a camp-only setting. The camp-only setting may be configured to only allow select operations to be performed by the transceiver  225  over the network connection. In a first example, the camp-only setting may allow emergency voice calls to be performed. In a second example, the camp-only setting may allow emergency messages or indications of emergency messages (e.g., in a ping) to be received (e.g., Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) or Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Service (ETWS). 
     The above noted operations in the camp-only setting of the first set of settings may be the selected operations that are allowed to be performed. That is, a data exchange for these operations over the network connection with the LTE-RAN  122  may be enabled. Accordingly, all other operations may be ignored or remain unprocessed. In a first example, no other incoming or outgoing user activity may be allowed while the settings for the high-power mode are activated. In this manner, the UE  110  may not receive incoming voice calls, text, application notifications, etc. In a second example, no discretionary traffic may be allowed to be exchanged. Discretionary traffic may represent any background traffic that is exchanged without any user intervention or user input (e.g., without user knowledge). In a third example, the mode application  240  may ensure that any Attach or Internet protocol (IP) context is saved (e.g., for use when the UE  110  returns to the normal state and the settings for the normal mode are activated). In a fourth example, the mode application  240  may instruct the use of the pre-RLF application  245 . As will be described in further detail below, the pre-RLF application  245  may provide a specialized functionality when the network connection is identified as being in the high power state. Accordingly, by utilizing the above settings when the network connection is in the high power mode, the additional power that would ordinarily be required to perform operations associated with the network connection may be conserved. 
     The settings in the high power mode may also include a power conservation setting or a user experience setting. The power conservation setting may be directed to minimizing power usage while the network connection is identified to be in the high power state. The user experience setting may be directed to minimizing power usage but not at the cost of the user experience. In both the power conservation setting and the user experience setting, the cellular interface with the LTE-RAN  110  (e.g., the use of the network connection) may be suspended based on the detection of the events described above within the time period without losing the IP context. 
     With particular regard to the power conservation setting, the cellular interface may completely be suspended such that only outgoing emergency calls or incoming emergency messages/pings are received. Thus, no user initiated activity may be allowed and all other incoming data and all other outgoing data is blocked (e.g., no voice calls, no messaging, etc.). This may provide a highest power saving. 
     With particular regard to the user experience setting, the cellular interface may be partially suspended such that non-user initiated activity is blocked. Specifically, discretionary traffic (e.g., cloud notifications) may be blocked while outgoing emergency calls, incoming emergency messages/pings, and any user initiated activity is allowed. Thus, when any user activity is detected, the UE  110  may exit from the high power mode and enter the normal mode so that the user requested operation may be performed. This may provide lower radio resource control (RRC) connections when the network connection is in the high power state while also affording a high power saving. 
     It is noted that the mode application  240  may be configured with the power conservation setting, the user experience setting, or both these settings. When configured with only one of these settings, the mode application  240  may use only the selected power conservation or user experience setting. When configured with both of these settings, the mode application  240  may select which of these settings should be used based on various factors. In a first example, the mode application  240  may have one of these settings selected as a default. In a second example, the mode application  240  may dynamically select which of these settings to use. For example, if the remaining power in the power supply is below a predetermined threshold, the mode application  240  may select the power conservation setting. However, for all other times, the mode application  240  may select the user experience setting. 
     The mode application  240  may consider various factors when utilizing the settings corresponding to the high power mode. The settings for the high power mode may impact a user experience, particularly when even user initiated activities are not allowed. Accordingly, based on how activating the settings for the high power mode would affect the user experience, the mode application  240  may delay entering the high power mode when one or more of the factors are determined. 
     In a first example, the mode application  240  may consider whether a voice call over the network connection with the LTE-RAN  122  is currently active. If there is a currently ongoing voice call, the mode application  240  may assume that the user is still using the UE  110  in performing this functionality. Thus, if a voice call is active, the mode application  240  may delay activating the settings of the high power mode until the voice call has terminated. 
     In a second example, the mode application  240  may consider whether foreground user data traffic over the network connection with the LTE-RAN  122  is ongoing. In a substantially similar manner, the foreground user data traffic (in contrast to discretionary traffic) may be data that is tied with user activity or user initiated activity. That is, ongoing foreground user data traffic may be indicative that the user is still using the UE  110 . Accordingly, if the foreground user data traffic is ongoing, the mode application  240  may delay activating the settings of the high power mode until the ongoing foreground user data traffic has concluded or a minimum time from the last ongoing foreground user data traffic has been detected. 
     In a third example, the mode application  240  may determine if the display device  215  is activated. If the display device  215  is on, the mode application  240  may assume that the user is still using the UE  110  for some purpose. Accordingly, if the display device  215  is activated, the mode application  240  may delay activating the settings of the high power mode until the display device  215  is deactivated. 
     In a fourth example, the mode application  240  may utilize a cooling timer prior to activating the settings of the high power mode. The cooling timer may be used to prevent the mode application  240  from activating the settings of the high power mode while the cooling timer is running. The cooling timer may be a timer which may be started each time that the UE  110  has exited out of the high power mode and entered the normal mode. In this manner, the mode application  240  may prevent frequent transitions to the high power mode (and activating the corresponding settings). For example, the cooling timer may be between 3 to 5 minutes. Thus, if the UE  110  was in the high power mode and a trigger has been detected to swap from the high power mode to the normal mode, the cooling timer may be started. Even if the trigger is no longer detected during the duration of the cooling timer, the mode application  240  may prevent the high power mode from being used even though the minimum number of events were detected for a given time period. Accordingly, if the cooling timer is running, the mode application  240  may delay activating the settings of the high power mode until the cooling timer has expired. 
     The mode application  240  may further be configured to perform a specialized operation when the network connection is identified to be in the high power state. Specifically, upon identifying that the network connection is in the high power state, the mode application  240  may flush out any pending data from the discretionary traffic flow which is still in networking buffers corresponding to an applications processor stack. Accordingly, a transmission control protocol (TCP) reset may be sent for this discretionary traffic flow from the applications processor stack. 
     As described above, the applications of the processor  205  may further include a pre-RLF application  245 . The pre-RLF application  245  may include a specialized set of operations that are performed for the settings corresponding to the high power mode. Specifically, the state application  235  may transmit a signal to the mode application  240  and the pre-RLF application  245  that the network connection is in the high power state. While the mode application  240  activates the above described settings and places the UE  110  in the high power mode, the pre-RLF application  245  may perform a set of operations to attempt to remove the UE  110  from being in the high power mode. As will be described in further detail below, the pre-RLF application  245  may perform a handover operation with the LTE-RAN  122  to switch from a first cell (that is identified to have a network connection in the high power state) to a second cell (that is determined to likely have an improved network connection in the normal state). 
     Initially, it is noted that the pre-RLF application  245  is described herein as providing a functionality that ensues from the state application  235  and/or operates in conjunction with the mode application  240 . However, this manner of utilizing the pre-RLF application  245  is only exemplary. According to another exemplary embodiment, the pre-RLF application  245  may be used independently. As will become apparent below, connectivity information (particularly based on uplink transmissions) may be received by the pre-RLF application  245  to perform its functionality. That is, the pre-RLF application  245  may utilize its own determination as to whether further operations are to be performed instead of relying on the signal from the state application  235  that the network connection is in the high power state. 
     As described above, the UE  110  may be a cellular link budget limited device due to a variety of reasons. For example, the antenna performance may be degraded due to physical limitations or other design limitations. In another example, the UE  110  may be classified as a cellular link budget limited device if equipped with a single antenna while the LTE-RAN  122  is planned under an assumption that the UE  110  is equipped with a diversity antenna (e.g., two or more antennas). When the UE  110  is a cellular link budget limited device, in addition to the issues described above, various further issues may arise with regard to interactions or data exchange operations with the base station (e.g., serving cell or eNB of the LTE-RAN  122 ). For example, the UE  110  may remain connected to a base station where useful communications between the UE and the base station are unsustainable. Specifically, uplink transmissions from the UE  110  may not be received by the LTE-RAN  122  due to insufficient transmit power (e.g., due to an impaired antenna). Downlink transmissions from the base station may also not be received or may not be successfully decoded by the UE  110  (e.g., due to an impaired antenna, loss of diversity antenna in single-antenna UEs, etc.). 
     In particular examples of the above scenarios, the UE  110  may be a cellular link budget limited device that is connected to a cell in which a network connection to the corresponding base station is weak while one or more cells whose network connection to the corresponding base stations that are stronger may be available for the UE  110  to connect. In a first example, the UE  110  may detect a stronger cell compared to its current cell that is available for handover and transmits a measurement report to its currently connected base station to allow it to handover to the stronger cell. However, due to a limited uplink such that the current base station does not receive the uplink transmission from the UE  110 , the current base station may not issue a handover command to the UE  110  to move to the stronger cell. In a second example, the current base station for the UE  110  may receive a coverage-limited measurement report from the UE  110  and, as a result, transmit a handover command to the UE  110 . However, due to a limited downlink receive performance of the UE  110 , the UE  110  may fail to decode the handover command and remain stuck on the current weak cell. Those skilled in the art will understand that there may be further examples that exist where the UE  110  may remain on a weak serving cell (e.g., the LTE-RAN  122  does not configure a measurement gap properly for a class of cellular link budget limited devices in which the UE  110  is included). 
     In view of the above issue of remaining connected to a base station of a cell over a network connection that is weak and provides an unsustainable communication pathway, the pre-RLF application  245  provides a mechanism to transmit an early RLF indication where the early RLF indication is not based on an actual RLF condition where the RLF criteria are met but based on other criteria (e.g., RLF due to failed radio link monitoring criteria is not yet satisfied yet uplink transmission is not sustainable). 
     In a first manner of triggering the early RLF indication, the state application  235  may monitor the uplink transmission parameters (e.g., transmission power, uplink BLER, etc.) Based on the uplink transmission parameters, the state application  235  may infer the sustainability of the uplink communication. If the uplink transmission parameters are determined by the state application  235  to consistently fall out of an acceptable predetermined range of operability, the state application  235  may translate this as an unsustainable link in the uplink direction. In a first example, a required transmit power may be greater than a maximum allowed transmit power according to UE capability, power back-off limits for a specific absorption rate (SAR), etc. In a second example, a high uplink BLEB may be consistently observed or measured. In a third example, a combination of the above conditions may be determined. Accordingly, the state application  235  may determine the unsustainability of the uplink transmission pathway for the UE  110  for the network connection to the current cell. The state application  235  may generate and transmit a signal of this determination to the pre-RLF application  245  for subsequent operations to be performed (e.g., utilizing the early RLF indication). 
     As noted above, the pre-RLF application  245  operating in conjunction with the state application  235  is only exemplary. Thus, in a second manner of triggering the early RLF indication, the pre-RLF application  245  may include the functionalities of the state application  235  described above to determine the above noted conditions for the uplink transmission pathway. In this manner, the pre-RLF application  245  may determine the unsustainability of the uplink transmission pathway for the UE  110  for the network connection to the current cell. The pre-RLF application  245  may then prepare for subsequent operations to be performed (e.g., utilizing the early RLF indication). 
     When the pre-RLF application  245  receives a signal or determines that the uplink transmission pathway is unsustainable or the early RLF indication is to be utilized, the pre-RLF application  245  may attempt to force the current cell to perform a handover procedure. For example, a measurement report may be generated that corresponds to an actual RLF condition (again, an actual RLF may not be the case). This measurement report may be transmitted to the current cell to force the current cell to find a better cell within the supported radio access technologies (RATs). 
     It is noted that the pre-RLF application  245  may have features to perform the above noted functionality in an improved manner. Specifically, after the early RLF indication is triggered, the UE  110  may temporarily bar the current weak cell from an acquisition database. By omitting the current weak cell or other determined weaker cells than the current weak cell, the UE  110  may avoid returning to the weak cell or associating with an even weaker cell while coverage conditions for the weak(er) cell does not change. In this manner, the handover procedure may be used for only stronger cells. It is also noted that the above noted functionality of the pre-RLF application  245  being directed to the uplink transmission pathway is only exemplary. According to other exemplary embodiments, the pre-RLF application  245  may be modified to be used for downlink transmission pathways or both uplink and downlink pathways. 
     It is further noted that when the pre-RLF application  245  is used in an independent capacity, the functionalities of the state application  235  and the mode application  240  may potentially be bypassed. For example, the conditions described above to activate the settings for the high power mode when the network connection is determined to be in the high power state may require a plurality of different events to be detected. However, prior to the plurality of different events being detected for the high power state of the network connection (e.g., a first time period of detecting the events does not detect the plurality but a second ensuing time period does detect the plurality), the conditions for triggering the early RLF indication may be determined. Thus, before the high power state is identified, the pre-RLF application  245  may have utilized the early RLF indication and performed a successful handover to a strong cell having a sustainable network connection. Accordingly, the network connection may not be determined to ever be in the high power state that requires the high power mode and the corresponding settings. 
     By utilizing the high power mode and the settings corresponding to the network connection being in the high power state, the exemplary embodiments provide a mechanism to minimize power usage (and maximize power conservation) as an operation that would normally be performed with a first power amount when the network connection is in the normal state requires a second greater power amount when the network connection is in the high power state. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments may be used to reduce the cellular usage to a maximum degree while the network connection is identified in the high power state to achieve a longer life of the power supply. The exemplary embodiments are also configured to consider the overall user experience while providing this power conservation feature such that the user is minimally impacted from the use of the high power mode. 
     Once the UE  110  is placed in the high power mode with the corresponding settings being activated, the mode application  240  may be further configured to remove the UE  110  from the high power mode back to the normal mode with its corresponding settings when one or more of a variety of conditions are determined. Initially, it is noted that the state application  235  may continue to perform its functionalities. However, in addition to the above noted operations of determining when the network connection is in the high power state, the state application  235  may perform opposite functionalities to determine when the network connection is in the normal state. For example, if a transmission power and a retransmission power used in uplink transmissions are at or even below an expected power level, the state application  235  may determine that this event is indicative of the network connection being in the normal state. Accordingly, if the number of required events is not satisfied in a given time period, the state application  235  may generate a signal for the mode application  240  that the network connection is in the normal state. 
     In addition to the above noted manner of switching from the high power mode to the normal mode based on a signal generated by the state application  235 , the mode application  240  may determine if other types of conditions are met to switch from the high power state to the normal state. In a first example, the mode application  240  may determine when a user activity is detected. Specifically, when the settings of the high power mode includes the user experience setting described above, the user experience is to be minimally impacted. Thus, any user activity at the UE  110  may be assumed to require a return of the settings to the normal mode so that all operations and functionalities that are being utilized by the user is available. For example, if the display device  215  is activated or a user application is opened, the mode application  240  may assume that the normal operations of the UE  110  are to be made available, including all network connectivity operations. Accordingly, when a user activity is detected, the mode application  240  may exit out of the high power mode and its corresponding settings and use the normal mode and its corresponding settings. 
     In a second example, the mode application  240  may receive measurement information from the state application  235 . Specifically, the state application  235  may monitor and measure various connectivity parameters indicating the radio conditions. For example, the state application  235  may measure the RSRP. The measurement values of the RSRP may be provided to the mode application  240 . When the mode application  240  determines that there is at least a predetermined improvement to the measured radio condition, the mode application  240  may utilize the normal mode and come out of the high power mode. For example, the RSRP may be measured at −120 dbm at a first time and subsequently improves to −100 dbm at a second time. This improvement of 20 dbm may be the predetermined improvement or a greater improvement than the predetermined improvement. In another example, the RSRP may be improved above a predetermined minimum threshold. Accordingly, when a predetermined improvement amount is determined in a measured radio condition, the mode application  240  may exit out of the high power mode and its corresponding settings and use the normal mode and its corresponding settings. 
     In a third example, the mode application  240  may determine if there has been a successful reselection to a new cell. As described above, after the mode application  240  has activated the settings corresponding to the high power mode when the network connection is in the high power state, the pre-RLF application  245  may be used to select a new cell via an early RLF indication in which a normal RLF procedure may be performed (although it is also noted that the pre-RLF application  245  does not require the UE  110  to be in the high power mode for its functionality to be performed). The processor  205  may also perform a normal RLF procedure when an actual RLF is determined. By performing the RLF procedure, the UE  110  may then perform a handover to a new cell. When a successful handover has been performed in which a new cell is selected, the mode application  240  may assume that the new cell is better than the previous cell and the network connection is in the normal state. Accordingly, when a successful reselection to a new cell is determined, the mode application  240  may exit out of the high power mode and its corresponding settings and use the normal mode and its corresponding settings. 
     In a fourth example, the mode application  240  may utilize a guard timer. The guard timer may be a time limit that the high power mode and the corresponding settings are to be used before the normal mode and the corresponding settings are to be used. Thus, if the mode application  240  has been using the high power mode for the entire duration of the guard timer (e.g., the guard timer has expired), the mode application  240  may automatically exit out of the high power mode and enter the normal mode even though the network connection may still be determined to be in the high power mode. For example, the guard timer may be set to 5 minutes. Thereafter, the normal mode may be used for at least some period of time before re-entering the high power mode from the network connection continuing to be determined in the high power state. Specifically, as described above, the mode application  240  may include a cooling timer to ensure that the high power mode is not continued endlessly by using a duration of time in which the high power mode is prevented from being re-entered after exiting the high power mode. Accordingly, when the guard timer has expired, the mode application  240  may exit out of the high power mode and its corresponding settings and use the normal mode and its corresponding settings. 
     Thus, when any one or more of the above conditions is determined, the mode application  240  may return to the normal mode and activate the corresponding settings. However, since the settings corresponding to the high power mode are used for at least some time when the network connection is identified to be in the high power state, the UE  110  is capable of conserving more power than if the UE  110  stays in the normal mode the entire time. 
       FIG. 3  shows a signaling diagram  300  of utilizing a high power mode according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. Specifically, the signaling diagram  300  may relate to a set of operations performed to identify that a network connection between the UE  110  and a base station of the LTE-RAN  122  is in the high power state such that the settings of the high power mode are activated. The signaling diagram  300  relates to operations performed by a plurality of components including a baseband (BB) processor  305 , a BB stack  310 , a connection manager  315 , a core telephony  320 , and an applications processor (AP) stack  325 . As noted above, the processor  205  may represent a baseband processor. Accordingly, the BB  305  and the BB stack  310  may be implemented by the processor  205 . The connection manager  315 , the core telephony  320 , and the AP stack  325  may be high layer functionalities of an overall processing component of the UE  110 . 
     As illustrated, the BB  305  may transmit a high power indication  330  to the BB stack  310 . As noted above, the high power indication  330  may be based on detecting a predetermined number of different events indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. Thus, the BB stack  310  may transmit an abort signal  335  to the AP stack  325 . The abort signal  335  may cause the AP stack  325  to flush  340  discretionary traffic that is still in networking buffers such that a TCP reset may be sent for this flow. It is noted that the IP context may be saved. The BB stack  310  may also transmit a high power mode request  345  to the connection manager  315 . The connection manager  315  may represent a component that manages how select network functionalities are to be used (e.g., activating or deactivating the select functionalities). Specifically, the connection manager  315  may provide instructions for the core telephony  320  that manages performance of these select functionalities. Accordingly, the connection manager  315  may update  350  certain settings. The update  350  may be to deactivate telephony functionalities (e.g., select incoming and outgoing calls/messaging) while maintaining emergency service functionalities (e.g., outgoing emergency calls or incoming emergency messages). When the connection manager  320  receives the update  350 , a mode of the BB  305  may be converted to the high power mode. Thereafter, the core telephony  320  may transmit a high power mode instruction  355  to the BB stack  310  such that a high power mode  360  is activated and further settings thereof are activated. 
     At a subsequent time, a user access  365  may be detected (e.g., at the AP stack  325 ). As described above, the user access  365  may represent any condition upon which the UE  110  is to exit the high power mode and its corresponding settings and return to the normal mode and its corresponding settings. Thus, the AP stack  325  may transmit a user initiated data request  370  corresponding to the user access  365  to the connection manager  315 . The connection manager  315  may transmit a further update  375  to the core telephony  320 . Since the normal mode is to be used, the further update  375  may be an instruction to activate the telephony functionality. The core telephony  320  may transmit normal mode instruction  380  to the BB stack  310  such that a high power mode  385  is deactivated and settings thereof are deactivated while a normal mode  390  is activated and settings thereof are activated. 
       FIG. 4  shows a method  400  for determining settings to be used corresponding to an identified mode according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. Specifically, the mode may be based on a state that is identified for a network connection. The method  400  relates to how the UE  110  utilizes connectivity and operation information being experienced by the UE  110  within a time period up to a current time. The method  400  may be performed by the state application  235  and the mode application  240 . The method  400  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  405 , the UE  110  receives connectivity and operation information. The receiving of this information may entail a variety of different mechanisms. For example, the UE  110  may receive connectivity information from the LTE-RAN  122 . In another example, the UE  110  may determine various connectivity parameters or measurements based on information gathered by the UE  110  and/or received from the LTE-RAN  122 . In a further example, the UE  110  may monitor the operations associated with the network connection. Based on the connectivity and operation information, the presence of various events may be detected. 
     In  410 , the presence of a first event may be determined using the connectivity and operation information. Specifically, the UE  110  may determine if there has been a RACH failure. As described above, the RACH failure event may relate to whether a RACH has been established for synchronization purposes to perform an operation using the network connection. Thus, a RACH failure event may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. The UE  110  may then continue to  435  which will be described in further detail below. 
     In  415 , the presence of a second event may be determined using the connectivity and operation information. Specifically, the UE  110  may determine whether uplink transmissions and uplink re-transmissions are requiring a high amount of power. As described above, the high power per bit ratio event may relate to the actual amount of power required in an uplink transmission and in an uplink re-transmission compared to a corresponding expected amount of power that should be required. The number of uplink transmissions and the number of uplink re-transmissions that require a power greater than the expected amount of power may be tracked such that if the number of these uplink transmissions and uplink re-transmissions exceed a corresponding predetermined threshold, more additional power is consistently required for uplink transmissions and uplink re-transmissions. Thus, the high power per bit ratio event may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. The UE  110  may then continue to  435 . 
     In  420 , the presence of a third event may be determined using the connectivity and operation information. Specifically, the UE  110  may determine if there has been a PHY abort indication. As described above, the PHY abort event may relate to measuring the MTPL and the PUSCH transmit power. When the difference between these values exceeds a predetermined threshold, a first criteria of the PHY abort event may be detected. The PHY abort event may also relate to determining an uplink BLER value. When the uplink BLER value is greater than a predetermined threshold, a second criteria of the PHY abort event may be detected. Accordingly, higher uplink transmit power and a high uplink BLER value may cause the UE  110  to utilize additional power in performing uplink transmissions. Thus, a PHY abort event may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. The UE  110  may then continue to  435 . 
     In  425 , the presence of a fourth event may be determined using the connectivity and operation information. Specifically, the UE  110  may determine if there has been a re-transmission failure. As described above, the re-transmission failure event may relate to a maximum number of re-transmission attempts that are performed for an unsuccessfully transmitted packet. As a packet loss percentage is intended to be kept under a minimum threshold, a packet transmission procedure may include re-transmission attempts up to a maximum number. If the packet fails to successfully be transmitted by the maximum number of attempts or if the number of re-transmissions are consistently (e.g., an average number for packets transmitted over a period of time) a predetermined percentage of the maximum number (e.g., 80%), the continuous attempts may drain power from the UE  110 . Thus, a re-transmission failure event may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. The UE  110  may then continue to  435 . 
     In  430 , the presence of a fifth event may be determined using the connectivity and operation information. Specifically, the UE  110  may determine if the LTE-RAN  122  gives low grant sizes over a period of time. As described above, the grant event may entail smaller transmission sizes such that the UE  110  is required to activate the transceiver  225  more frequently and utilizing additional power than if larger transmission sizes were granted and used. Thus, a grant event may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. Thus, a grant event may be indicative of the network connection being in the high power state. The UE  110  may then continue to  435 . 
     After determining whether the RACH failure event, the high power per bit ratio event, the PHY abort event, the re-transmission failure event, and the grant event have been detected, in  435 , the UE  110  determines if a number of different events is greater than a predetermined threshold. For example, the UE  110  may require that at least three different events be present to reliably identify when the network connection is in the high power state. Otherwise, the UE  110  may identify the network connection to be in the normal state where detection of none or at least one event less than the predetermined threshold may be within acceptable operational parameters for the network connection. 
     If the required number of different events is not met, in  440 , the UE  110  identifies the network connection to be in the normal state and sets a normal mode to use the settings of the normal mode. However, if the required number of different events is met, in  445 , the UE  110  identifies the network connection to be in the high power state and sets a high power mode to use the settings of the high power mode. As described above, the settings of the high power mode may entail allowing only emergency services (e.g., outgoing emergency calls or incoming emergency messages) while disallowing all other incoming/outgoing user activity, discretionary traffic, etc. In this manner, the UE  110  may conserve power by minimizing cellular usage while the network connection is in the high power state. 
     It is noted that the method  400  is illustrated with  410 ,  415 ,  420 ,  425 , and  430  running in parallel. However, the use of a parallel operation and determining the presence of each event is only exemplary. In another exemplary embodiment, the UE  110  may determine the presence of the events with an order or sequentially. For example, if performed sequentially, the UE  110  may stop determining the presence of the events if the predetermined threshold for the number of events has been met. The UE  110  may also stop determining the presence of the events if the remaining events to be determined cannot satisfy the predetermined threshold even if the remaining presences were detected. In another example, the UE  110  may utilize a particular order based on priority or importance of detecting the event. 
     It is also noted that method  400  may be an iterative process so long as the UE  110  is being used or activated. For example, while the UE  110  is activated, after  440  or  445 , the method  400  may return to  405  to continue to determine whether the settings of the corresponding mode are to be maintained or changed to the other settings of the corresponding other mode. Furthermore, the method  400  may be performed over a period of time. For example, prior to  405 , a determination may be made as to whether a new period of time is reached. If not reached, the current period of time may continue to run to monitor for the events. If reached, the new period of time may begin and the operations to detect the events may be performed. When the period of time has ended, the UE  110  may then continue to  435 . 
     It is further noted that the method  400  may incorporate further operations to incorporate further features such as those described above. For example, the method  400  may include an operation to determine whether there should be a delay prior to activating the settings of the high power mode. As described above, the delay may be due to variety of factors such as whether a voice call is currently active, foreground user data traffic is currently ongoing, the display device  215  is activated, or a cooling timer is still running. Thus, the method  400  may include operations to verify these conditions prior to activating the settings of the high power mode. 
       FIG. 5  shows a method  500  for determining settings to be used when in a high power mode according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. The method  500  relates to how the UE  110  is already in the high power mode and based on one or more factors may select to return to a normal mode or remain in the high power mode. Thus, the method  500  may assume that the UE  110  is currently using the settings of the high power mode. The method  500  may be performed by the state application  235  and the mode application  240 . The method  500  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  505 , the UE  110  determines whether there is any user activity. As described above, the settings of the high power mode may be a user experience setting instead of a power conservation setting. Thus, the user experience may be intended to be minimally impacted to allow for operation selected by the user to be allowed. Thus, if there is user activity, the UE  110  continues to  510  where the high power mode and its corresponding settings are terminated and the normal mode and its corresponding settings are activated. 
     In  515 , the UE  110  determines if a measured radio condition has had an improvement that is greater than a predetermined threshold amount. For example, the UE  110  may measure a RSRP while the network connection was identified to be in the high power state (e.g., −120 dBm). However, at a subsequent time while the UE  110  remained in the high power mode, the RSRP may be measured (e.g., −100 dBm) and determined to greatly improve to a degree that satisfies the predetermined threshold amount (e.g., at least a 20 dBm increase). In this manner, the UE  110  may assume that the network connection may now be identified to be in the normal state. Thus, if there is an improvement that satisfies a corresponding improvement criteria, the UE  110  continues to  510 . 
     In  520 , the UE  110  determines if a successful re-selection to a new cell has been performed. Specifically, the UE  110  may determine whether a first network connection to a first base station of a first cell identified as being in the high power state has been handed over to a second network connection to a second base station of a second cell identified (or assumed) as being in the normal state. For example, the UE  110  may have a RLF that triggers the handover procedure to be performed. In another example, as described above, the pre-RLF application  245  may be used if the conditions are met to trigger the handover procedure to be performed. Thus, if a handover to a new cell is determined, the UE  110  continues to  510 . 
     In  525 , the UE  110  determines if the amount of time that the UE  110  has been in the high power mode and using the corresponding settings has exceeded a guard timer. As described above, the guard timer may ensure that the UE  110  does not constantly remain in the high power mode. Thus, if the guard timer has expired, the UE  110  continues to  510 . 
     However, if none of the above conditions have been met, in  530 , the UE  110  maintains the settings of the high power mode where the network connection is identified to be in the high power state. 
     It is noted that the determination of the conditions represented in  505 ,  515 ,  520 , and  525  is not in any particular order. That is, the method  500  is not required to perform  505 ,  515 ,  520 , and  525  in the order shown in  FIG. 5 . In contrast, the method  500  may be modified such that the UE  110  constantly monitors the presence of any of these conditions where a detection of any one condition leads the method  500  to  510 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a method  600  for utilizing a pre-RLF operation according to the various exemplary embodiments described herein. The method  600  relates to how the UE  110  may perform a particular operation when in a high power mode or in an independent fashion. Specifically, the UE  110  may utilize a pre-RLF procedure that triggers RLF operations to be performed despite a genuine RLF not being determined. Thus, the UE  110  may attempt a handover from a current cell to a new cell that may allow the UE  110  to not be (or assumed to not be) in a high power state. The method  600  may be performed by the pre-RLF application  245 . The method  600  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  605 , the UE  110  determines connectivity conditions. The UE  110  may determine whether various connectivity operations has indicated particular results. Specifically, the UE  110  may use information corresponding to uplink transmission operations to determine whether there has been a RLF. Thus, in  610 , the UE  110  determines if there has been a RLF. If there has been a RLF, the UE  110  continues to  615  where a handover procedure is performed to disconnect from a first current base station of a first cell and connect to a second new base station of a second cell. 
     If there has not been a RLF, the UE  110  continues to  620 . In  620 , the UE  110  may utilize the feature of the pre-RLF application  245 . Thus, the UE  110  may first determine if there are any further cells to potentially perform a handover procedure. In  625 , the UE  110  may also determine if any of the further cells will potentially provide an improved network connection than currently provided by the current cell. If no further cell satisfies this criteria, the UE  110  continues to  630  where the UE  110  remains on the current cell as a handover to a worse cell may create a worse high power situation. 
     However, if at least one of the further cells is identified as a potential candidate, in  635 , the UE  110  determines the current uplink transmission quality. As described above, the pre-RLF application  245  may be based on how well the UE  110  performs uplink transmissions and whether the network connection provides a sustainable uplink transmission pathway for uplink transmissions. Thus, in  640 , the UE  110  determines whether the current uplink transmission pathway with the current cell is sustainable. For example, sustainability may relate to a power being used for uplink transmissions or an uplink BLER. If the uplink transmission pathway is sustainable, the UE  110  may select to remain on the current cell (despite a potentially better cell being available). 
     However, if the uplink transmission pathway is not sustainable, in  645 , the UE  110  generates an early RLF indication. The early RLF indication may be a measurement report that is generated to indicate a RLF despite no actual RLF being present. Accordingly, the current cell may issue a handover command to the UE  110 . Prior to transmitting the early RLF indication and to avoid returning to the current cell, in  650 , the UE  110  may remove the current cell from handover cell options. The UE  110  may then continue to  615 . 
     It is noted that the sequence shown for the method  600  is only exemplary. The method  600  may be modified such that the operations are performed in a different order or in a parallel manner. For example, the determination of further cells (e.g.,  620 ) and/or whether these further cells are better than the current cell (e.g.,  625 ) may be performed after the uplink transmission pathway has been determined to not be sustainable (e.g.,  640 ). 
     The exemplary embodiments are described above with many different events that may cause the UE  110  to utilize a high power mode when a network connection is identified to be in a high power state. However, the exemplary embodiments may also be configured to consider further factors that may affect how the operations according to the exemplary embodiments are utilized. In a particular example, the UE  110  may be experiencing a high mobility (e.g., a high rate of speed). When such a condition is determined, the UE  110  may delay the mode application  240  from activating the settings of the high power mode despite a positive determination for activation since the events that are detected may be caused from this mobility. When the mobility is no longer registered, the state application  235  may again be used to confirm or deny that the network connection is still in the high power mode. 
     The exemplary embodiments provide a device, system, and method of providing a high power mode when a network connection is identified to be in a high power state. The high power state may be a condition where the network connection requires additional power to perform operations (e.g., uplink transmissions) than if the network connection is in a normal state and within acceptable operational parameters. Accordingly, the high power mode may include settings to minimize cellular usage to improve power conservation while the network connection remains in the high power state. The high power mode may also consider the user experience to balance the power conservation feature while still availing the user of the capabilities of the UE. In a particular manner of removing the UE from the high power mode, a successful re-selection to a new cell may be a trigger. Accordingly, a pre-RLF operation based on a poor uplink transmission pathway (without an actual RLF) may be used to attempt a handover procedure to be performed. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardware platform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc. In a further example, the exemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present invention, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent.