Discontinuous reception (DRX) alignment techniques for dual-connectivity architectures

• US 10,075,988 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2014
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Koc, Ali T., Jha, Satish C., Sivanesan, Kathiravetpillai, Vannithamby, Rath, Zhang, Yujian
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US14/583,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,354 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Discontinuous reception (DRX) alignment techniques for dual-connectivity architectures are described. In one embodiment, for example, user equipment (UE) may comprise one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers, one or more RF antennas, and logic, at least a portion of which is in hardware, the logic to receive a radio resource control (RRC) configuration information message containing a small cell RRC configuration information element (IE), the small cell RRC configuration IE to contain a small cell discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration IE comprising one or more inter-cell-coordinated small cell DRX parameters, the logic to determine a start time for a small cell DRX cycle based on at least one of the one or more inter-cell-coordinated small cell DRX parameters and initiate the small cell DRX cycle at the determined start time. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. User equipment (UE), comprising:

one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers;

one or more RF antennas; and

logic, at least a portion of which is in hardware, the logic to receive a radio resource control (RRC) configuration information message comprising a small cell RRC configuration information element (IE), the small cell RRC configuration IE to contain a small cell discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration IE comprising one or more inter-cell-coordinated small cell DRX parameters to be applied by the UE during operation in a dually-connected mode according to which the UE is provided with concurrent data connectivity via a first data connection utilizing a first wireless communication frequency and a second data connection utilizing a second wireless communication frequency, the logic to determine a start time for a small cell DRX cycle based on at least one of the one or more inter-cell-coordinated small cell DRX parameters and initiate the small cell DRX cycle at the determined start time.

2. The UE of claim 1, the one or more intercell-coordinated small cell DRX parameters to comprise a small cell DRX offset value.

3. The UE of claim 2, the small cell DRX offset value to indicate a timing offset between a master cell group (MCG) for the UE and a secondary cell group (SCG) for the UE.

4. The UE of claim 3, the small cell DRX offset value to indicate the timing offset at a level of granularity no larger than one subframe.

5. The UE of claim 2, the logic to determine the start time for the small cell DRX cycle based on the small cell DRX offset value.

6. The UE of claim 1, the small cell DRX configuration IE to comprise a set of small cell DRX parameters for controlling small cell DRX operations of the UE.

7. The UE of claim 6, the set of small cell DRX parameters to comprise one or more parameters selected to align a long DRX cycle of a serving small cell of the UE with a long DRX cycle of a serving macro cell of the UE.

8. The UE of claim 6, the set of small cell DRX parameters to comprise one or more parameters selected to align a DRX ON duration of a serving small cell of the UE with a DRX ON duration of a serving macro cell of the UE.

9. The UE of claim 1, comprising a touchscreen display.

10. An evolved node B (eNB), comprising:

at least one radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

at least one RF antenna; and

logic, at least a portion of which is in hardware, the logic to select a set of macro cell discontinuous reception (DRX) parameters for user equipment (UE) possessing concurrent data connectivity via a first data connection utilizing a first wireless communication frequency and a second data connection utilizing a second wireless communication frequency, receive an X2 interface message comprising small cell timing information, determine a small cell DRX offset value based on the small cell timing information, and send a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message comprising the set of macro cell DRX parameters and the small cell DRX offset value.

11. The eNB of claim 10, the small cell timing information to comprise a small cell system frame number (SFN) and an absolute time comprising a start time of a small cell frame corresponding to the small cell SFN.

12. The eNB of claim 10, the small cell timing information to comprise a small cell system frame number (SFN), a small cell subframe number, and an absolute time comprising a start time of a small cell subframe within a small cell frame corresponding to the small cell SFN, the small cell subframe corresponding to the small cell subframe number.

13. The eNB of claim 10, the small cell DRX offset value to indicate an offset between a system timing of a small cell and a system timing of a macro cell served by the eNB.

14. The eNB of claim 10, the logic to determine the small cell DRX offset value at a level of granularity of less than one subframe.

15. The eNB of claim 10, the RRC configuration message to contain a RadioResourceConfigDedicated IE comprising the set of macro cell DRX parameters and to contain a small cell RRC configuration IE comprising the small cell DRX offset value.

16. The eNB of claim 15, the small cell RRC configuration IE to comprise a small cell DRX configuration IE that contains the small cell DRX offset value.

17. The eNB of claim 10, the logic to send a DRX command media access control (MAC) control element (CE) to instruct the UE to enter a DRX mode with respect a macro cell served by the eNB and send an X2 MAC CE message to transfer the DRX command MAC CE over an X2 interface connection.

18. An evolved node B (eNB), comprising:

one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers;

one or more RF antennas; and

logic, at least a portion of which is in hardware, the logic to;

receive an X2 timing information message over an X2 interface connection, the X2 timing information message to comprise macro cell timing information;

based on the macro cell timing information, select a set of small cell discontinuous reception (DRX) parameters for user equipment (UE) possessing concurrent data connectivity via a first data connection utilizing a first wireless communication frequency and a second data connection utilizing a second wireless communication frequency; and

send an X2 radio resource control (RRC) configuration information message over the X2 interface connection to report the selected set of small cell DRX parameters.

19. The eNB of claim 18, the logic to receive an X2 media access control (MAC) control element (CE) message over the X2 interface connection, the X2 MAC CE message to comprise a DRX command MAC CE.

20. The eNB of claim 18, the logic to select one or more of the set of small cell DRX parameters to align a long DRX cycle of a small served by the eNB with a long DRX cycle of a serving macro cell of the UE.

21. The eNB of claim 18, the logic to select one or more of the set of small cell DRX parameters to align a DRX ON duration of a small served by the eNB with a DRX ON duration of a serving macro cell of the UE.

22. The eNB of claim 18, the logic to determine an inter-cell timing offset based on the macro cell timing information and select the set of small cell DRX parameters based on the inter-cell timing offset.

23. The eNB of claim 22, the logic to determine the inter-cell timing offset at a subframe level of granularity.

24. The eNB of claim 18, the logic to send a second X2 timing information message over the X2 interface connection, the second X2 timing information message to comprise small cell timing information for a small served by the eNB.