Method and apparatus for maintaining reachability of a user equipment in idle state

• US 10,154,458 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kanamarlapudi, Sitaramanjaneyulu, Hsu, Liangchi, Attar, Rashid Ahmed Akbar, Valluru, Girish
• Primary Examiner(s): Holland, Jenee
• Application Number:
  US14/231,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20150063225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses and methods for maintaining reachability at a user equipment (UE). In one aspect, the apparatuses and methods are configured to detect a change in a radio connection between the UE and a peer entity, wherein the change in the radio connection is associated with the UE entering an idle state, to communicate to the peer entity, in response to detecting the change in the radio condition, an indication that the UE is to enter the idle state and is reachable for a specified duration of time while in the idle state, and to enter the idle state after communicating the indication to the peer entity. In another aspect, the apparatuses and methods are configured to communicate to the peer entity an indication that the peer entity is not to attempt to reach the UE during the specified duration of time.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining reachability at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

detecting a change in a radio connection between the UE and a peer entity, wherein the change in the radio connection is associated with the UE entering an idle state;

notifying, by a modern processor, an application of the UE that the UE is to enter the idle state in response to detecting the change in the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity;

communicating, from the application of the UE to an application of the peer entity and via the modem processor, in response to the change in the radio connection being detected, an indication that the UE is to enter the idle state and that the UE is reachable for a specified duration of time while in the idle state, wherein the communicating comprises communicating to the peer entity an indication that the peer entity is not to attempt to reach the UE during the specified duration of time; and

entering the idle state after communicating the indication to the peer entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating comprises communicating the indication by the modem processor of the UE to a modem processor of the peer entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the change in the radio connection comprises detecting that utilization of the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity is less than a threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the change in the radio connection comprises detecting that a quality metric of the radio connection between the UE and a serving cell is less than a threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising

initiating a radio recovery procedure in response to the quality metric of the connection between the UE and the serving cell being less than the threshold;

determining whether the radio recovery procedure has failed; and

entering the idle state in response to a determination that the radio recovery procedure has failed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the change in the radio connection comprises detecting that the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity is to be released.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising initiating, at the UE, the release of the radio connection.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a network entity in communication with the UE initiates the release of the radio connection.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating by the application on the UE with the application on the peer entity using the radio connection.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the modern processor, an application programming interface to the application processor to enable the application processor to invoke the functionality of the modern processor when the UE is in the idle state.

11. A computer program product for maintaining reachability at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium, including code executable by a computer to;

detect a change in a radio connection between the UE and a peer entity, wherein the change in the radio connection is associated with the UE entering an idle state;

notify, by a modern processor, an application of the UE that the UE is to enter the idle state in response to detecting the change in the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity;

communicate, from the application of the UE to an application of the peer entity and via the modem processor, in response to the change in the radio condition being detected, an indication that the UE is to enter the idle state and that the UE is reachable for a specified duration of time while in the idle state, wherein the code executable by the computer to communicate to the peer entity comprises code executable by the computer to communicate to the peer entity an indication that the peer entity is not to attempt to reach the UE during the specified duration of time; and

enter the idle state after communicating the indication to the peer entity.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the code executable by the computer to communicate to the peer entity comprises code executable by the computer to communicate the indication by the modern processor of the UE to a modem processor of the peer entity.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes code executable by the computer to provide, by the modem processor, an application programming interface to the application processor to enable the application processor to invoke the functionality of the modem processor when the UE is in the idle state.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the code executable by the computer to detect the change in the radio connection comprises code executable by the computer to detect that utilization of the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity is less than a threshold.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the code executable by the computer to detect the change in the radio connection comprises code executable by the computer to detect that a quality metric of the radio connection between the UE and a serving cell is less than a threshold.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the non- transitory computer-readable medium further includes code executable by the computer to:

initiate a radio recovery procedure in response to the quality metric of the connection between the UE and the serving cell being less than the threshold;

determine whether the radio recovery procedure has failed; and

enter the idle state in response to a determination that the radio recovery procedure has failed.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the code executable by the computer to detect the change in the radio connection comprises code executable by the computer to detect that the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity is to be released.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes code executable by the computer to initiate, at the UE, the release of the radio connection.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a network entity in communication with the UE initiates the release of the radio connection.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes code executable by the computer to communicate by the application on the UE with the application on the peer entity using the radio connection.

21. An apparatus for maintaining reachability at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

means for detecting a change in a radio connection between the UE and a peer entity, wherein the change in the radio connection is associated with the UE entering an idle state;

means for notifying, by a modern processor, an application of the UE that the UE is to enter the idle state in response to detecting the change in the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity;

means for communicating, from the application of the UE to an application of the peer entity and via the modem processor, in response to the change in the radio condition being detected, an indication that the UE is to enter the idle state and that the UE is reachable for a specified duration of time while in the idle state, wherein the means for communicating comprises means for communicating to the peer entity an indication that the peer entity is not to attempt to reach the UE during the specified duration of time; and

means for entering the idle state after communicating the indication to the peer entity.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for communicating comprises means for communicating the indication by the modern processor of the UE to a modem processor of the peer entity.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for detecting the change in the radio connection comprises means for detecting that utilization of the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity is less than a threshold.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for detecting the change in the radio connection comprises means for detecting that a quality metric of the radio connection between the UE and a serving cell is less than a threshold.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising

means for initiating a radio recovery procedure in response to the quality metric of the connection between the UE and the serving cell being less than the threshold;

means for determining whether the radio recovery procedure has failed; and

means for entering the idle state in response to a determination that the radio recovery procedure has failed.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for detecting the change in the radio connection comprises means for detecting that the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity is to be released.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising means for initiating, at the UE, the release of the radio connection.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein a network entity in communication with the UE initiates the release of the radio connection.

29. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for communicating by the application on the UE with the application on the peer entity using the radio connection.

30. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for providing, by the modem processor, an application programming interface to the application processor to enable the application processor to invoke the functionality of the modem processor when the UE is in the idle state.

31. An apparatus for maintaining reachability at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory storing instructions for executing;

a radio connection change component configured to detect a change in a radio connection between the TIE and a peer entity, wherein the change in the radio connection is associated with the UE entering an idle state;

a modern processor component configured to notify an application of the UE that the UE is to enter the idle state in response to detecting the change in the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity;

an indication communicating component configured to communicate, from the application of the UE to an application of the peer entity and via the modern processor, in response to the change in the radio condition being detected, an indication that the UE is to enter the idle state and that the UE is reachable for a specified duration of time while in the idle state, wherein the indication communicating component is further configured to communicate to the peer entity an indication that the peer entity is not to attempt to reach the UE during the specified duration of time; and

an idle state component configured to cause the UE to enter the idle state after communicating the indication to the peer entity.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the indication communicating component is configured to cause a modem processor component including the processor and memory to communicate the indication to the modern processor component including the processor and memory of the peer entity over the radio connection.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the radio connection change component is configured to detect that utilization of the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity is less than a threshold.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the radio connection change component is configured to detect that a quality metric of the radio connection between the UE and a serving cell is less than a threshold.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

a radio recovery component configured to initiate a radio recovery procedure in response to the quality metric of the connection between the UE and the serving cell being less than the threshold;

wherein the radio recovery component is further configured to determine whether the radio recovery procedure has failed; and

wherein the idle state component is further configured to cause the UE to enter the idle state in response to a determination that the radio recovery procedure has failed.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the radio connection change component is configured to detect that the radio connection between the UE and the peer entity is to be released.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the radio connection change component is further configured to initiate the release of the radio connection.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein a network entity in communication with the UE initiates the release of the radio connection.

39. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising a radio link communication component including the processor and memory configured to enable communications by the application on the UE with the application on the peer entity using the radio connection.

40. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the modem processor component is further configured to provide an application programming interface to the application processor to enable the application processor to invoke the functionality of the modern processor when the UE is in the idle state.