Small data communications

• US 10,153,816 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Bangolae, Sangeetha, Martinez Tarradell, Marta, Pinheiro, Ana Lucia
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh Vu H
• Application Number:
  US14/782,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/362 Modulation using more than one carrier, e.g. with quadrature carriers, separately amplitude modulated H04L27/366 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Technology for communicating small data between a user equipment (UE) and an evolved node B (eNB) is described. The UE may communicate with the eNB to establish a small data radio bearer (SDRB), wherein the SDRB is used for communicating the small data from the UE to the eNB. The UE may enter a power saving mode according to a power saving configuration. The UE or the eNB may maintain UE context information for the SDRB while the UE is in the power saving mode. The SDRB may be reestablished using the UE context information when the UE awakes from the power saving mode to enable the UE to communicate the small data on the SDRB to the eNB.

Claims

1. An evolved node B (eNB) operable to communicate small data with an user equipment (UE), the eNB having computer circuitry configured to:

communicate with the UE to establish a small data radio bearer (SDRB) for communicating the small data to the UE during an initial attachment procedure comprising;

receive a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message from the UE with an establishment cause of small data to enable the eNB to prepare a network setup for the SDRB;

send an RRC connection setup message from the eNB to the UE for an SDRB configuration to enable the UE to enter an RRC SDRB state;

communicate the small data from the eNB to the UE using core network (CN) bearers that are mapped to the SDRB while the UE is in the RRC SDRB state; and

transition from the RRC SDRB state to an RRC connected state.

2. The node of claim 1, further configured to establish the SDRB for communicating the small data to the UE in a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message communicated to the UE.

3. The node of claim 1, further configured to communicate the small data to the UE using corresponding S1-U/related core network (CN) bearers that are mapped to the SDRB.

4. The node of claim 1, wherein the UE context information is maintained at the node for a predefined period of time according to a timer.

5. The node of claim 1, further configured to suspend the SDRB when the node is not communicating the small data to the UE.

6. The node of claim 1, wherein the node is selected from a group consisting of a base station (BS), a Node B (NB), an evolved Node B (eNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio equipment (RRE), or a remote radio unit (RRU).

7. The node of claim 1, further configured to:

maintain UE context information for the SDRB, at the node, while the UE is in a power saving mode; and

receive the small data from the UE based on the UE context information for the SDRB when the UE wakes up from the power saving mode.

8. The node of claim 1, wherein the computer circuitry is further configured to transition from the RRC SDRB state to an RRC idle state.

9. The node of claim 8, wherein the computer circuitry is further configured to transition from the RRC SDRB state to an RRC idle state upon expiration of an inactivity timer.

10. The node of claim 8, wherein the computer circuitry is further configured to transition from the RRC SDRB state to an RRC idle state based on signaling received from a network.

11. The node of claim 1, wherein the computer circuitry is further configured to transition from the RRC SDRB state to an RRC idle state and then to an RRC connected state to enable control information and data to be communicated between the UE and the eNB.